Miramichi staff boost Renous’ bid to become Kraft Hockeyville enhances mental wellness, and is what Addiction & Mental Health staff promote daily.
LPN stands for more than Licensed Practical Nurse
A group of Horizon licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in the Saint John area saw an opportunity to work together to help create positivity and boost morale in their profession and ran with it. Together, they created Leaders Practicing Nursing, a group who meet regularly to focus on leadership and supporting their profession and nursing team. “Licensed practical nursing is not typically a profession where you see people take leadership roles and we wanted to inspire other LPNs to be leaders,” said Christie Ruff, Regional Lead, Corrections Health and Clinical Order Sets. As health care providers, they want to make a difference in the lives of their patients, their community and their colleagues; as colleagues, they’re focused on encouraging each other and being a voice for LPNs who might not want to speak. “We are creating a movement and excitement that LPNs can be leaders within their workplace and beyond,” said Jennifer Bickford, Association of New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurses (ANBLPN) Board member. With a combined 50+ years of nursing experience, these LPNs work in various nursing areas including education, internal medicine, neurology and more. The group share experiences, resources and advice all while determining ways to help other LPNs feel inspired and become leaders. “I am grateful and inspired by this amazing Dressed in red and white, Christie Ruff arrived at a citizenship ceremony in Saint John two months ago ready to become a Canadian citizen. After living in Canada for over 30 years and working as a nurse for 32, this was her day to shine. This is a meaningful time for Christie; ever since she was driven across the U.S. border by her Canadian husband in 1989, she has felt at home here and has never looked back. “It’s hard to believe it has taken this long to formalize something that has been in my heart for years,” she said. “I am sure Canadian blood runs through my veins, and I’m proud to say I. Am. Canadian.” Canada Day 2019 is guaranteed to be extra special for this newly minted Canadian. “Every day feels like Canada Day right now,” she laughed. “I look forward to celebrating with my fellow Canadians on July 1. Happy Canada Day!” Christie is the Regional Lead for Corrections Health & Clinical Order Sets and a Licensed Practical Nurse.
The support of Horizon staff in Miramichi helped boost a neighbouring community’s bid to become Canada’s hockey town. The community of Renous, 40 kilometres southwest of Miramichi, recently won the title of Kraft Hockeyville for 2019, thanks to the public’s vote. Before and during the two-day online voting blitz, Horizon staff who worked in Addiction and Mental Health’s outpatient and inpatient services showed their support for the bid, encouraging staff and community members in the region and across the province to vote for Renous as many times as possible. “When communities come together to support each other it’s uplifting,” said Jackie Hare, Acting Director of Addiction and Mental Health Services and Nurse Manager of Addiction and Psychiatry Inpatient Units at Horizon’s Miramichi Regional Hospital. This was a staff-driven initiative. Staff were so committed to Renous wining they had a Jersey Day (some bringing extra jerseys for those without one) and decorated their office windows with signs to remind everyone about voting. They used their work breaks, and their own time, to vote. “People came in the next morning and said, ‘I voted for two hours straight last night’,” she said. Participating in this bid was a no-brainer, as this was, at its core, a wellness initiative. Physical activity, like playing hockey or skating, and community involvement
And when Renous was announced as the winner, it was a time for everyone to celebrate. “The staff around here were just ecstatic,” Jackie said. “It was like everybody won.” Renous won $250,000 in upgrades for Tom Donovan Arena. They’ll also have the honour of hosting an NHL game between the Montreal Canadians and Florida Panthers (exact game location to be determined).
Staff at Horizon’s Addiction andMental Health Outpatient Services decorated their office windows to encourage and remind community members to “Vote Renous!”
From left: NBCC Clinical Instructor Laura Janes, and Horizon LPNs Gwen Bezeau, Patrick Daggett, Christie Ruff, Rhonda Power and Jennifer Bickford. Missing from the photo is Curtis Cormier.
group of caring individuals,” said Rhonda Powers, President of the ANBLPN Saint John Chapter. “We have a common goal to encourage and promote professionalism and positivity in our profession.” Curtis Cormier hopes this group will ignite passion and instil pride in their chosen profession, something he and this group already share. “Being an LPN is a career we are all proud of and have a passion for,” said Laura Janes. “We want to share that passion with others, so we as a profession, are able to continue to grow.” “This group… (is) a way we can show honest
communication, awareness and education to other fellow LPNs while providing and encouraging leadership skills,” said Gwen Bezeau. Leaders Practicing Nursing encourage each other to take different leadership roles, motivate each other to take courses, and provide mentorship to others, as well performing these actions in their work areas to help other LPNs feel inspired and to become leaders. “I hope to inspire my fellow LPNs to exude kindness and professionalism,” said Jennifer. “Both of these qualities encompass what is needed in nursing today.” This Canada Day, we want to celebrate Horizon’s new Canadians If you’re a Horizon employee and new Canadian, we want to know: When and why did you come to Canada? Did you move here to join the Horizon team? What is your most memorable Canadian moment? We want to share your stories and photos this Canada Day on Horizon’s social media channels! Send your submissions to horizonstar@horizonnb.ca by Friday, June 21. Please include the following items: • Your name, position, unit and facility • One or two paragraphs sharing your Canadian story • A photo of you — in your best red and white or at your citizenship ceremony, if possible *Please note: These photos will be featured on Horizon’s corporate social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or YouTube, not in the Horizon Star ). By submitting a photo, you consent to having your photo used on these online channels. For privacy reasons, please ensure no patients or patient information is visible in photos.
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A proud Canadian, 30 years in the making
Staff at Horizon’s Addiction andMental Health Outpatient Services (top) and Inpatient Psychiatry and Inpatient Detoxification at Horizon’s Miramichi Regional Hospital (bottom) wore sports jerseys to drum up support and votes for Renous’ successful bid to become Kraft Hockeyville.
Christie Ruff at her citizenship ceremony in Saint John.
Look Who’s Shining! Know someone who’s accomplished something outstanding outside the workplace? Nominate a colleague, peer or volunteer for this feature by emailing HorizonStar@HorizonNB.ca .
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