Karen Bloemink

Karen Bloemink is the Vice President of Human Resources, Population Health, and Pandemic Response​. In this role, Karen provides executive leadership to Interior Health’s COVID-19 planning and implementation in close collaboration with IH’s clinical operations and support services leadership, the Ministry of Health, and other B.C. health authorities. Karen also leads Human Resources and Population Health strategy and operations. She was appointed to this position in September 2021.

Karen previously held the position of Vice President Clinical Operations North since January 2019, overseeing clinical services for the Thompson, Cariboo, Chilcotin, North Okanagan, Shuswap, and East Kootenay, and numerous regional programs and networks.

She also served as interim Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Hospitals and Communities portfolio in IH providing leadership for acute, home, and community services; as well as allied health, patient transport, the Professional Practice Office, and the operational aspects of the Southern Medical Program. Before that she was an Executive Director in the Hospitals and Communities portfolio, leading all operations for acute and community health service delivery in East Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary. In addition, she had oversight for the Home Health, End of Life/Palliative Care, and Medical Assistance in Dying programs for the health authority.

Karen has wide-ranging operational and leadership experience in the areas of critical care, acute care, community/primary care, and long-term care in both urban and rural settings across the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia spanning three decades. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Western Ontario and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Victoria.