NHL Healthcare Heroes - Northern Health Region Public Health Program

Across Manitoba's North, the health care professionals working within the Northern Health Region's Public Health Team have had a lot of ground to cover during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team, made up of professionals from a variety of backgrounds and many different communities, have been responsible for meeting the needs of 16 communities and numerous First Nations communities located across the health region's vast geographic area, which is the province's largest.
To meet the needs of a population spread across so many communities, many of which are isolated and difficult to reach and experienced COVID-19 outbreaks during the winter months, the northern COVID-19 response relied upon both teamwork and innovation.
"The Northern Health Region is large in terms of the areas we serve but providing outlying communities with various programs and services is nothing new to our team," said Pamela Noseworthy, a public health nurse from Thompson. "We benefit by having close working relationships with various community partners including community organizations, town councils, chief and councils, health centres, nursing stations, and healthcare staff who reside in communities. Public Health routinely travels to our outlying communities to provide programs, services, and support, so travelling to communities to assist with the pandemic is second nature."

To support the needs of Manitobans, the team grew, welcoming professionals from a variety of backgrounds, travelling to communities and building upon existing relationships to navigate any barriers to care.
"There are isolated community locations and limited access to tertiary care centres," said Kathy Miller, a regional communicable disease prevention nurse. "There is extreme weather and temperatures, limited access to reaching clients due to no cellular service, and a lack of households with phones."
Staff also joined forces with community organizations and created bonds with patients and clients along the way, demonstrating a commitment to care and a passion for their work that was made overwhelmingly evident by the number of staff that jumped at the chance to contribute to this story.
"Having lived and worked in the north my entire career, I was well aware of the partnerships the Northern Regional Health Authority has with the outlying communities within our region," stated public health nurse Abbie Humby, also of Thompson. "We have been able to work together with many partners to arrange for communities to be able receive their vaccine in Thompson by arranging flights, buses and meals for all who were able to come to Thompson to be vaccinated prior to the vaccine being available to them in their home communities."
In every circumstance and wherever need arose, the team has risen to the challenge, demonstrating a selfless commitment to care and adapting their roles to whatever is needed.
For Toni Campbell and Maggie d'Entremont, this meant a temporary move from diabetes education to a focus on COVID-19 response.
"We've led a public health response in various communities requiring expertise, creativity, initiative, and out-of-the-box thinking - all things Northern Health public health nurses are known for," said d'Entremont.
Jamie Steeves' role has also changed as she took on a coordinator role with Alternative Isolation Accommodation (AIA) sites, supporting a safe place for Manitobans to isolate, often in a location outside of their home community.
"In the beginning of the pandemic, it was apparent that community members throughout our region would need a safe place to isolate if they could not do so at home," said Steeves. "We knew that a local solution would be beneficial to add to our public health team and so we began developing our northern AIA."
For others, the pandemic inspired them back into action, with retirees like Sharon Ferguson of The Pas joining the fight against COVID-19.
"My work has changed drastically, from being retired and working on projects around the house to working full-time as the AIA lead," noted Ferguson. "This position has been challenging and demanding at times, but also a great learning experience."
For many other healthcare workers, the pandemic has brought about a change in scenery as they have travelled to isolated communities to provide help wherever it was required.
"We are fortunate to have nurses who are willing to travel to communities to test and assist with contact and case management," said Robi-Lynn Cooper Roberts, a public health nurse in Flin Flon. "Staff have regularly travelled into isolated communities by plane and ice roads."
The selfless spirit doesn't stop with northern healthcare workers and has been clearly evident in the actions of community members who have aided each other over the past year.
Communities have supported each other in so many ways, including stepping up with donations of games and toys for those staying in AIA, and helping with supplies and grocery drop-offs to homes that were isolating.
As we sorted through the many voices and testimonials offered for this story, it became clear that adaptability, selflessness and strength are key to the culture of the Northern Health Regions' healthcare workers and the communities they serve.
"I've been amazed at the resilience of our community members," said Christa McIntyre, a community health developer in Flin Flon. "Some families have faced some tough times during this pandemic, but they have remained grateful for our staff support and have moved forward with grace."