(ANNews) – Featuring an exciting group of renowned guests including the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief, the Prime Minister, and others, Marion Crowe from the First Nations Health Managers Association (FNHMA) hosted a virtual celebration that honoured, thanked, and celebrated health care workers and the new certified First Nations Health Managers (CFNHM).
CEO Marion Crowe and special guests at the FNHMA virtual celebration. (Photo courtesy of Nation Talk).
Marion Crowe – who has been CEO of FNHMA since the organization opened its doors over ten years ago – provided top-rate emceeing as the virtual celebration’s host of the inspiring 3-hour celebration on November 4, 2020. Elder Pat Green kicked off the event with an opening prayer and comment, and the festivities continued with guest speakers including AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Former Prime Ministers, Federal Ministers, and professional hockey player Carey Price. Each of whom shared their appreciation of health workers who have helped steer Indigenous communities through not only the COVID-19 crisis but also many of the problems that have been exacerbated by the global pandemic.
The virtual celebration showcased several touching tributes to healthcare workers and featured musical guests like Crystal Shawanda, Adrian Sutherland, and Logan Staats, culminating in the exclusive presentation of the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) Leadership Award to Bella Petawabano who works with the Cree Board of Health and Social
Services of James Bay in Quebec.
As the event neared its end, the most recent CFNHM graduates were honoured with a touching ceremony. For those who strive every day to make a difference in healthcare, especially during the recent pandemic, the virtual ceremony was a moving reminder of just how much the community and the country admires and thanks them for their hard work and sacrifice.
The sponsors of the celebration included the Canadian Red Cross, CFHI, Indigenous Health Today (IHToday), the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, Emergent Biosolutions, Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, NationTalk, TC Energy, MNP, Bank of Montreal, Canada Health Infoway, Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Cree Board of Health and Social Services
of James Bay, Anishnabe Printing, HP, Community Alert and Response for Emergencies, and Care Link.
You can watch the virtual celebration in its entirety at https://give.ihtoday.ca/fnhmacelebrates
Save the Date: A new virtual InfoPoint series of town hall discussions will be hosted by First Nation Health Managers Association starting January 14, 2021. It will livestream at https://ihtoday.ca/townhall/
Want to catch up on previous episodes?
Find them all in French & English at:
Hear Covid-19 updates and news pertinent to your Community, featuring guest speakers from:
- Indigenous Services Canada
- Peetabeck Health Services
- Indigenous Reconciliation Group
- First Peoples Wellness Circle
- Thunderbird Partnership Foundation
- VIO Volunteers
- Lakehead University
- First Nations Information Governance Centre
Jacob Cardinal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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