WHISTLER/LIL̓WAT7ÚL AND SḴWX̱WÚ7MESH NATION, BC (May 24, 2024)—A community that built innovative infrastructure to support health teams and patients, a rural psychiatrist who pioneered made-in-rural solutions for mental health provision, and a resident doctor who is pursuing her passion are all being honoured at the 2024 Rural Health Awards.
The City of Dawson Creek is being honoured with a Rural BC Community Award, Cowichan’s Dr. Robin Routledge is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Rossland’s Dr. Svetlana Hadikin is the recipient of the inaugural Resident Leadership Award.
Winners of the Rural Community and Lifetime Achievement Awards have been awarded a plaque and $2,500 cash prize for a community celebration, while the Resident Leadership winner has been given free registration to the Rural Health Conference.
RCCbc Executive Director, Dr. Ray Markham, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the contributions of our 2024 Rural Health Award winners. We are always amazed by the innovation and ingenuity of our rural health teams, and this year is no different. I congratulate our winners and thank them for their dedication.”
RCCbc presents its annual BC Rural Health Awards at its BC Rural Health Conference, which, this weekend, is being held at the Whistler Conference Centre on the traditional, unceded lands of the Lil̓wat7úl and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations. Recipients of RCCbc’s annual Rural BC Community Award are selected for developing innovative and collaborative solutions to local healthcare issues. Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award must be a rural doctor who has served one or more rural communities throughout their career and significantly impacted provincial, national and/or international rural health.
New this year is the Resident Leadership Award, which recognizes a Medical Resident in good academic standing who has demonstrated a sustained interest in rural and remote medicine in BC.
Profiles of all the winners are included in the attached backgrounder.
Additional resources:
See backgrounder with stories about the 2024 BC Rural Health Award winners.
Contact:
RCCbc Communications:
About the Rural Coordination Centre of BC
Led by rural doctors, the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) is a network that works to improve the health of people and their communities in rural BC. Funded primarily by the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues, our network partners include healthcare providers and administrators, community members, policymakers, educators, researchers, and non-profit and business leaders. We serve all rural, remote and Indigenous communities in BC covered by the Rural Practice Subsidiary Agreement.