A BURNSHIP’S director of public health departs on Thursday after making an impact in the local and national arena in the Covid pandemic. Covid pandemic.
Prof. Dominic Harrison came to Blackburn as part of the Darwen Council with a strong passion for health disparities and the effects of poverty on people’s life opportunities.
The 62-year old then participated in a significant European investigation into the issue before identifying an essential role in fighting the coronavirus pandemic that hit the borough with a hammer.
Prof. Harrison, the writer of the weekly columns for Lancashire Telegraph throughout the Covid-19 crisis, has been a prominent national figure on how to combat Covid-19.
He added: “I came to Blackburn with Darwen after many years of working as deputy director for public health for the Government Office North West.
“I was involved in developing health inequalities strategies at the regional levels and was looking to change actuality in real life in a particular area.
“Blackburn with Darwen was a place with a high degree of health inequalities and a well-established health and healthcare system.
“I felt it was a good place to try to make a difference.”
“One of my most significant accomplishments is working alongside my colleagues from the World Health Organisation and Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Harry Burns and Sir Michael Marmot in their European review of health Inequalities.
“Blackburn, together with Darwen, was the first local government in the UK to undertake extensive research on Adverse Childhood Experiences, publishing the paper in collaboration with Liverpool John Moores University in 2015.
“This research has drawn all the nation’s attention to the effects of the early years of a person’s life on their health throughout adulthood and resulted in the somewhat recent Trauma-Informed Care approach.
“This was a critical piece of work that involved several people in the borough’s public health team. It has undoubtedly had an impact at a national level.
“Although Blackburn with Darwen had the most significant impact during the initial one-year period of this pandemic, we all responded as a community with a lot of force.
“The Public Health Team was able to identify several of the challenges in epidemiology quickly and implemented local solutions soon in conjunction with the council departments, the community NHS, and the general public.
“Consequently, we have become highly resilient to pandemics locations within the UK.
“I am happy with our response to pandemics, and I feel honored to have served as Blackburn along with the Director of Darwen’s Public Health during this challenging moment.
“The Borough has a solid civic life and an involved community.
“My colleagues from the local authorities and NHS are dedicated and highly motivated. Blackburn, together with Darwen, is an excellent location to make a difference.
“This is something the pandemic showed us.”
Blackburn and Darwen’s Chief Executive Denise Park said: “Having Dom as part of our team during the pandemic has been extremely important.
“He has undoubtedly strengthened the borough’s response to the Covid pandemic and I’m certain he has helped to save lives through his public health leadership.”
Blackburn as Darwen’s new public health director will be Abdul Razaq, who joins the authority from Lancashire County Council.
