Heroes in Health Awards presented at 6th annual health conference
By Marci Becking
ANISHINABEK NATION TERRITORY – For the past six years, the Anishinabek Nation has been recognizing individuals in the health field who have exceeded their regular duties in their community in order to keep citizens safe.
“There are many throughout the territory and today, we will be recognizing a few,” said Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Glen Hare. “COVID-19 has presented our First Nations with many challenges. The scale of the crisis and its impact has and is still causing us a lot of fear, uncertainty and anxiety across the nation. It’s disrupted our work, our family routines, and created social isolation which is causing so many of us mental stress and anxiety.
In addition to that, our traditional lifestyles that are a source of our resiliency also pose a threat to the spread of the virus. Over the last year, we would have normally been celebrating our regular traditional gatherings like pow-wows, harvests, coming-of-age ceremonies, etcetera.
Yet, we are seeking our own solutions to this pandemic. With vaccinations coming and being creative in using our traditional knowledge, practice and medicines, sealing off our territories and other preventative measures like wearing a mask and social distancing, we can get through this!
And so today, let’s celebrate and honour those members in our territory who have stepped up and extended themselves to help others keep us safe and who are helping us get through this difficult time.”
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Robin Steed, Health Director at Curve Lake, notes this about her Health and Family Services staff:
There are 27 individuals including the custodians who maintained yards, took garbage to the curb for those who couldn’t, shovelling out the walkways and doorways to ensure the safety of those who needed it most.
When COVID-19 hit, Curve Lake First Nation shut down and the Health and Family Services team stepped up. They all came into the office and went to town; they began purchasing groceries and supplies. They arranged within one week to assemble and distribute these to every household in our community. After that, to ensure that everyone stayed home, they drove around the community and continued to deliver food, water and household needs to any household who put a coloured sign in their window. They staffed in-home health positions despite risk of exposure with our home and community care and homemaking clients. They did friendly porch visits for any members who were struggling mentally (from a safe distance and with PPE).
They created a safe distribution routine at our foodbank and immediately began offering a free dairy bag and a free produce box monthly to every household in the community. At the same time, they ran their regular programs and services using virtual technologies to ensure the mental health of our community and sense of ‘normalcy’ was maintained. In fact, they have been incredibly successful in hitting regular program deliverables and nearly doubling participation in all of our programs and caseloads!
For those who did not have access to a device to log-in virtually, they provided cell phones with pre-paid plans and even at times did ‘porch visits’ to teach our Elders how to use their devices.
They persevered daily while the rest of the community’s Band-run services were closed they came to work daily, even on evenings and weekends, and they didn’t complain— they always maintained their smiles and spread cheer at each holiday.
They never cease to amaze me, they are incredibly talented people and a fantastic team who support one another and never hesitate to pitch in to help one another and the community as a whole. If I could, I would give each and every one of them a cape.
Miigwech for all that you do. I am very honoured to be part of this team.
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Sarah Williams, Right to Play Coordinator at Sheguiandah First Nation.
Sarah is a true champion for the youth primarily, but the community as a whole. During the pandemic lockdown, she continued to engage with our youth and coordinate with other programs in ways that promote self-esteem and inclusivity.
She works to provide opportunities for our youth through community events like March Break Youth Camp, Summer Fun Days, and Halloween Haunted Trail. Sarah is always encouraging and supportive. During this difficult time, she continues to ensure that our youth’s mental health is first and foremost.
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The following nominations come from Paige Boris of Kettle and Stony Point. Paige has nominated a number of individuals whom she identifies as exceptional individuals.
“I am very lucky and proud to call my co-workers and friends,” As I believe all of our healthcare workers are exceptional people, I felt they need to be recognized for their extraordinary work within our First Nation over the past 10 months and moving forward. Thank you, thank you!”
Barbara “Nawagiizhigookwe” Shipley. Barbara is one of Kettle and Stony Point’s long-standing CHR employees and their senior Administrative Assistant. As the pandemic grew, Barbara instantly switched her mind to measures that would keep their workers and community safe. Based on her past experiences with Pandemic Planning work, she was able to offer immediate assistance to their Community Control Group. She knew instantly about putting together a long-term plan for service-wide provision and set out instantly to order supplies for all essential services for her community. Barb also began purchasing extra freezers to store food for our seniors and other people in need. When supplies started to run out around the world, somehow, Barbara knew what to do.
She coordinated community crafters to produce masks for our schoolchildren and helped to coordinate the distribution.
She devoted tireless hours of her time to ensure the safety and security of her fellow co-workers, her leaders, and those most vulnerable in our Nation. If you ask Barbara how she was able to manage it all, she would likely respond that she was just doing her job.
For her outstanding efforts in keeping us safe, we would like to thank Barbara “Nawagiizhigookwe” Shipley.
We would also like to nominate our community nurses: Jennifer Copp-Scalf RN, Cynthia Leckie RN, Heather Taylor RN, Carlene Mennen RN and Brandi Brown RPN. From the beginning of the pandemic, this group of nurses tirelessly worked as a team to continue to provide essential services to the community and to ensure that their community clients were receiving the most up-to-date COVID-19 information. On top of their regular duties, these individuals were tasked with other extraordinary duties such as inspections for local businesses’ safe re-opening, organizing and operating COVID-19 test site, and delivering PPE and food supplies to members in need. Despite many unknowns during the beginning of the pandemic, this group of individuals did not hesitate at the responsibility before them and continued to work despite the risks. They were also tasked to complete all of the COVID screening within the community— putting themselves at risk to ensure that other members could safely perform essential services.
Kettle and Stony Point First Nation was the First Nation to experience a positive COVID-19 case within their community. With many unknowns, the nursing team was able to work collaboratively with other Health Staff to secure an isolation room for the individual, while continuing to provide one-on-one wellness and health checks with this individual and to ensure that they were being cared for as well. From this experience, we were successful in obtaining funding for a COVID Isolation center. This group of individuals have been extraordinary from a nursing and personal perspective, never questioning their duty to care for others.
We are very proud of our nurses, which is why we are honoured to nominate them for the Heroes in Health Award. Thank you to our nurses for keeping us safe.
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Chief Jason Henry and Doug George, Health Director both advocated for the community at all levels of government to ensure that all members receive quality care and essential services during the pandemic. They were instrumental in organizing a COVID-19 testing site in our community. They spent many long hours and weekends to ensure our community was aligned with other community partners and agencies and also ensured that our essential staff had the necessary PPE and training needed to complete their jobs safely and efficiently.
Doug George is the new Health Director of our Health Services and was quickly thrust into a global pandemic and a new position. He has handled the task graciously and humbly while also ensuring that the staff felt prepared and cared for during these trying times.
Chief Jason Henry provided the community with regular COVID-19 updates, ensuring that our citizens are prepared and often taking his own time to ensure that families are fed and have the things that they need. During this time as well, he put a call-out to local fishers, hunters and gatherers to gather food for families in need, as well as personally setting his own fishing nets. Chief Henry also cared for our off-reserve community members by delivering food hampers to those in need, all the while putting himself at risk by making himself available to the ones he serves. Our Chief humbly never takes credit for the many things he does for our community – which is why he is one of our Heroes in Health Care.
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Lastly, we honourably recognize Martina Osawamick, also known to many as Nokomis Martina. Martina is a citizen of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. She is a survivor of Indian Residential School, Indian Day School, a survivor of trauma and grief and even ovarian cancer.
Even though she has endured much trauma in her lifetime, she is a Nokomis to a lot of individuals who seek positive life changes. Even though she is retired, she continues to work very hard in the communities of N’Swakamok and Wiikwemkoong helping individuals emotionally, mentally, physically and ensuring they are spiritually safe.
Martina works with Cambrian College and Laurentian University students, Kina clients and N’Swakamok Friendship Centre clients where she sits one-on-one or virtually to provide clarity, understanding and guidance to all who are striving for good health and balance. She is often called on for opening/closing prayers, Elder, individual supports, and shares her traditional knowledge.
Martina demonstrates health in many ways; she does this in modelling a positive lifestyle and is always open to sharing the teachings and Anishinaabemowin daily to those around her. She is truly my hero in health!
Miigwech Lisa and thank you for all that you do.
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List of award winners:
Barbara Shipley, (on Zoom)
Heather Taylor, RN (on Zoom)
Cynthia Leckie, RN (on Zoom)
Jennifer Copp-Scalf RN
Carlene Mennen RN
Brandi Brown RPN.
Doug George, Health Director (on Zoom)
Chief Jason Henry
Martina Osawamick (on Zoom)
Sarah Williams, Right to Play Coordinator at Sheguiandah First Nation (on Zoom)