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2005 Awards of Excellence in Nursing
Health Canada recognizes the hard work of all of Canada's nurses and encourages Canadians to show their appreciation during National Nursing Week. This year's recipients exemplify quality and commitment to wellness and to improving the health system in Canada. Their contribution to Aboriginal communities and to the nursing profession is outstanding.
Nurses are key players in helping the Government of Canada deliver on its commitment to address the gap in life chances between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada.
The following are the winners of this year's awards:
Edith Martel (left) has spent the last
28 years working as a nurse in First Nations communities. In every
place she has been, she has made an effort to learn about the local
language and culture. In 1977, Martel began her career with Health
Canada's Medical Services Branch -- the forerunner of the First Nations
and Inuit Health Branch -- as a community health nurse in Island Lake,
Manitoba. In addition to her regular duties there, she helped to train
other nurses.
Since 1986, she has worked for the Muncey Health Centre in Muncey, Ontario. Now the nurse in charge, she is responsible for providing health programs for the two communities served by the centre. Some of her recent interests include HIV awareness and AIDS. Martel continues to mentor young nurses and promote health careers in First Nations.
Ada Benoit (right) has been a nurse since 1988. For the past 13 years, she has worked in her home community, the Miawpukek First Nation in Conne River, Newfoundland. She is currently the nurse practitioner and wellness coordinator for Conne River's health and social services agency.
Ada Benoit is responsible for the coordination and delivery of all
health promotion and illness prevention programs. The women's clinic
which she manages has one of the highest rates in the province for
cervical cancer screening. She is also involved in nursing education,
tobacco control and diabetes programs at the local and provincial levels.
Benoit has served two terms on the board of directors of the Aboriginal
Nurses Association of Canada and is considered by many to be a role
model for Aboriginal nurses.
