Ontario Long Term Care Association Unveils Nursing Leadership Award Winners

MARKHAM, ON, Oct. 22 /CNW/ - As part of its 50th anniversary initiative, the Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) today announced four recipients of the first-ever Ontario Long Term Care Association Nursing Leadership Awards. The winners were unveiled and recognized at a special presentation and reception sponsored by 3M Healthcare at the Association's Fall Symposium held in Markham.

"Nurses play a unique leadership role in the planning and delivery of care in Ontario's long term care homes," said Christina Bisanz , Chief Executive Officer of OLTCA. "We felt it was particularly appropriate to recognize our inaugural winners during Long Term Care Week, as each recipient demonstrates a level of care and commitment to their residents that allows aging to truly be living. We thank each of them for the contribution they have made to some of the over 76,000 Ontarians living in long term care."

The Nursing Leadership Awards recognize two Registered Nurses (RN) and two Registered Practical Nurses (RPN) who are nominated by their OLTCA Member Homes across the province for demonstrating and exemplifying the qualities of nursing leadership.

The 2009 Ontario Long Term Care Association Nursing Leadership Awards winners are:

Sandra Kuchmak, RN and Director of Care, The Wynfield, Oshawa, is a coach who instills accountability and nurtures staff to be better at placing the resident at the centre of care, and a mentor and leader who advocated for early adoption of Minimum Data Set and volunteered for Council of Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities coordinator during the pilot phase.

Diane Muma , RPN, Bella Senior Care Residence, Niagara Falls, is a mentor for all new registered staff and students and is a strong resident advocate mindful of residents who do not have family members close by. She is a key member of the palliative care team ensuring residents are pain-free, comfortable and never die alone.

Jeanette O'Leary, RN and Care Innovation Coach, Shalom Village, Hamilton, has worked to create a sense of belonging for those with cognitive impairment, and to translate best practice into everyday practice by helping to create useable concepts for ethical decision-making used by all team members.

Diane Stroop , RPN and Charge Nurse, Avalon Retirement Centre, Orangeville, co-founded the Avalon-Watch to promote health and safety, the Volunteer Auxiliary to fundraise and provide meaningful activities for residents and considers herself very patriotic, wearing red every Friday to honour the veterans, thanking them for the rights and freedoms they defended.

Long term care homes provide a quality care and living experience to 76,000 aging Ontarians with complex medical needs as part of Ontario's publically funded healthcare system.

About the Ontario Long Term Care Association

OLTCA is celebrating 50 years as the only association representing the full spectrum of Ontario's charitable, not-for-profit, municipal and private operators of over two-thirds of the province's long term care homes that provide care and services to 50,000 residents and employ some 50,000 Ontarians.

For further information: or to arrange interviews with the 2009 Nursing Leadership Award winners, please contact Cynthia Innes, Edelman Public Relations, Tel: [phone] ext. 343, Email: [email protected]