Factsheet: Health Canada's Tenth Annual First Nations and Inuit Health Branch Award of Excellence in Nursing

May, 2012

News Release: Harper Government Recognizes Nurses at the Tenth Annual Award of Excellence in Nursing

Three registered nurses are being recognized during Nursing Week for their dedication, initiative and high standard of excellence as employees of either Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), a First Nations or Inuit community.

This year's recipients are:

Sophie Pamak, Hopedale, Labrador
Inuit in the community of Hopedale in Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador) receive health care from one of their own. Sophie Pamak was raised in Nain, an Inuit community north of Hopedale, and is known for setting the standard for providing culturally safe health care. Sophie is proud, deeply compassionate, and persistent in her advocacy for what she believes is right for her clients. Further, she is able to provide care to Inuit in their own language. In addition to her employment as a home care nurse she is also raising a young family, volunteering on local housing and food security committees and continually working to preserve her language. Sophie earned her Nursing Diploma from the Western Memorial Regional Hospital School of Nursing in Corner Brook, NL and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Nursing at Athabasca University on a part-time basis.

Lori Monture, Hagersville, Ontario
Lori is from Six Nations in southern Ontario and has worked as a Registered Nurse for more than 25 years including 11 years as Home and Community Care and Long Term Care Coordinator in her home community. Lori is well respected by her peers and is a well-educated and trusted information source. Among colleagues, Lori is known as one who speaks with knowledge and strives to improve the health and wellness of the people whose lives she touches. In addition to her nursing responsibilities, she is working to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Nursing Science to complement her Nursing Diploma earned from the Mohawk College of Nursing in 1985 and studies in Community Health in First Nations at Lakehead University in 1998.

Leslie-Ann Smith, Battleford, Saskatchewan
Leslie-Ann is a nurse currently employed by Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch as Nurse in Charge at the Spiritwood Health Centre. Leslie-Ann has worked with First Nations communities for the majority of her nursing career. Since graduating in 1991 from the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies' Indian Diploma Nursing Program, she has continued to pursue educational opportunities, completing a Bachelor of Nursing Science from the University of Saskatchewan in 2007. This desire for lifelong learning has effectively increased her ability to provide compassionate, client-centered care in a variety of settings. Leslie-Ann is recognized by her peers as being passionate about her career, never satisfied with the status quo and always looking for opportunities for improvement.