The Healthier You Awards were held to celebrate achievements of individuals, businesses and organizations making a difference in the lives of Northern British Columbians.
There were 12 categories.
The winners were:
• The Health and Wellness Advocates of the Year award went to Paul and Diane Duperron who started the local chapter of the Kidney Foundation in 2006 and have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for the foundation.
• The Youth Initiative award winner was Lauren Matheson, who was diagnosed with acute scoliosis of the spine and was a nationally ranked sprinter in track and field. After major surgery where rods were put into her back and an intense year of physiotherapy she is once again up and running. She is fundraising for the BC Children's Hospital and a Northern Health volunteer, and an honour student, with the goal of working in the healthcare profession.
• The Outstanding Multicultural Contribution Award went to Dr. Chris Opio, an associate professor, ecosystem science and management of the University of Northern B.C. Opio set up the locally-based Northern Uganda Development Foundation, which mainly supports access to clean water while seeking improvements to farming techniques, the purchase of goats for sustainability, and provide health education and skills to establish small businesses. The foundation has provided 74 wells that serve 120,000 people, which has reduced sickness by 85 per cent.
• The Health and Wellness Innovator of the Year award went to Dr. Haidar Hadi and Dr. Dan Horvat: The Northern Race Line. The Northern R.A.C.E. stands for Rapid Access to Consultative Expertise, which connects family physicians with specialists by phone more quickly which has led to patients receiving better care and reduced the need for patients to travel.
• The Seniors Initiative of the Year award went to the Geriatric Assessment and Treatment Unit, Northern Health that helps seniors manage their own healthcare by providing a one stop shop where there is a supported group of services in one location.
• The First Nations Initiative of the Year award went to Rod George who is the elder advisor for a new wellness group called the Dudes Club where men living on the street can share a meal and conversations about health.
• The Health & Wellness Provider of the Year award went to Dr. Ian Schokking who is the committed lead on continuing education for medical education for physicians in the region, runs the residency program for physicians in training, as well as showing residents what northern living is all about.
• The Technology in Health Care award went to the Northern Health Kidney Care Team that pioneered a patient-centred model of care, got tele-health services across the kidney program in the north and provides virtual access to a whole multidisciplinary team during a consultation.
• The Health and Wellness Educator of the Year Award went to the Population Health Injury Prevention Team, Denise Foucher and Shellie O'Brien, Northern Health, as they made it possible for thousands of people in the north to have access to appropriate and relevant injury prevention information on an ongoing basis and provided concussion training to hundreds.
• The Research Award went to Dr. Shannon Freeman, a post-doctoral fellow in the school of health sciences at UNBC, whose research interest focuses on the health and well being of vulnerable populations in the areas of aging and hospice palliative care clinical assessments.
• The Healthy Workplace Award goes to the Canadian Cancer Society, Northern Health and BC Cancer Agency, University of British Columbia and Athabasca University who developed a new approach to addressing health challenges faced by northern men by providing a wellness program to male-dominated workplaces that has seen overwhelming success.
• The Mental Health in the Workplace award went to Car 60 – RCMP and Northern Health, which is a community based program where a plain clothes police officer and a psychiatric nurse support those that are mentally ill living on the street.
