OTTAWA, November 26, 2008 - The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) presented its Centennial Awards to 100 very special nurses at a ceremony this morning in Ottawa. The event was part of the association’s year-long program of activities created to mark its 100th anniversary. Local nurse Joan Lesmond, executive director of community engagement and the Saint Elizabeth Health Care Foundation, was one of the recipients honoured at the event.

The Centennial Awards were created to honour exceptional registered nurses whose work has had a positive impact on nursing and on the lives and health of Canadians. Recipients were nominated for the one-time-only award by their peers as a recognition of their contributions to the profession, the workplace and the health system.

Remarking on the diversity of the award recipients, CNA president Kaaren Neufeld said, “These are nurses who represent all regions of this country and all areas of nursing, from educators to administrators to practitioners to researchers to policy leaders. But although they may work in a variety of settings, one thing they have in common is that they have made a difference. Their passion and dedication is truly inspiring.

To see the list of all 100 recipients and their bios, go to www.cna100.ca.

CNA is the national professional voice of registered nurses, supporting them in their practice and advocating for healthy public policy and a quality, publicly funded, not-for-profit health system.

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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Madonna Gallo
Manager, Corporate Communications
Saint Elizabeth Health Care
Tel: 905-968-6430
Mobile: 416-882-7930
Email: mgallo@saintelizabeth.com

Lisa Brazeau
Director, Corporate Communications
Canadian Nurses Association
Tel.: 613-237-2159 ext. 252
Mobile: 613-864-1371
E-mail: lbrazeau@cna-aiic.ca