Meet our Team: Occupational Therapist helps people recover through daily activities

Occupational Therapy

Our Occupational Therapy (OT) program helps Stoney people recuperate from physical or mental illness through rehabilitation that concentrates on daily movement and activities. As a form of therapy, its focus is to help and provide people with the resources and tools they need to manage their own self-care and maintain their work and leisure. Learn more about these services helping community members return to day-to-day activities after illness. 

Scroll down to find out more about Sikin – our sole, staff occupational therapist.

Sikin Samanani, Occupational Therapist

Sikin Samanani, Occupational Therapist

Sikin lives in Calgary with her family - her husband, their moms and their son. Her two daughters currently live in the United States.

For some, the work of an occupational therapist may be new or unfamiliar. Sikin is quick to offer a little glimpse into her day, saying "[The work] is always different - whether it's home or functional assessments, mobility aids and prescriptions, or working with the Elders. Every day is a new one and it's filled with an experience that is unforgettable."

She also enjoys her work because of its potential to make small, positive differences in her client's lives. In her words, "Whether it's providing them with a walker or improving access into their homes, the change impacts their overall well-being and contributes to an improved quality of life. "
Sikin has been with Stoney Health for more than a decade, also splitting her time at Siksika Health Services. In fact, she first worked with Siksika and then when the opportunity came up to work in Mînî Thnî, she jumped at the chance to learn about Stoney people, their traditions and culture.

Now years later, that cultural appreciation continues to motivate her. Combined with a deepening respect for the people and their willingness to openly share the steps they take to improve their lives.

Outside of work, if she's not travelling, Sikin explores her interests in dance, music, hiking and cooking. In fact, she's currently enrolled in Hip Hop dance classes satisfying her own need for self-care.

Meet the Team: Îyarhe Nakoda Youth

Iyarhe Nakoda Youth Program Team, 2022

Îyarhe Nakoda Youth Program

Through a holistic and cultural approach, the Îyarhe Nakoda Youth Program (INYP) empowers Stoney Nakoda youth to support healing, growth, well-being and community connections. 

INYP works closely with community Elders and knowledge keepers, for program development and implementation. Elders are brought in to engage directly with the youth to ensure that the services delivered are culturally appropriate and to create generational connections.

Featured programming includes hosting youth-focused events such as round dances and pow wows, online after-school tutoring classes that provide culturally aware educational support and summer youth camps to positively impact identity, self-worth, skills and a sense of belonging.

Gabriel Young, Stoney Health Services

Gabriel Young, Honouring Life/Youth Programs Coordinator

Gabriel is the programs coordinator for the Youth Program, a Registered Social Worker and a proud member of the Stoney Nakoda Nation.

Gabriel has cultivated his knowledge and experience through youth work, substance-use prevention and well-being programming. He is an advocate for adequate service delivery for Indigenous Peoples.

Gabriel works with a holistic approach and holds traditional teachings and values at the forefront, merging those important practices with contemporary social work tools. His passion is to work with individuals, families, and communities progress towards overall wellness and healing.

Danielle Lefthand, youth outreach worker, Stoney Health Services

Danielle Lefthand, Youth Outreach Worker

Glowing Rainbow Woman, also known as Danielle Lefthand, lives and works in Mînî Thnî and fluently speaks both Stoney and English. She's worked and volunteered with several Stoney-based organizations, seeking out roles that allow her to give a voice to and impact education: as board members with the Stoney Education Board, Chief's Office of Education and currently, Making Treaty 7.

She draws on these invaluable experiences in her current role as youth outreach worker with Stoney Health Services. A role she loves, in part, because she is able to create programs for youth that boost their self-esteem, build confidence, capacity, and identity.

She is a passionate advocate for community youth and feels honoured when she is able to gain their trust. Danielle noted, "It warms my heart to see our youth interested in learning more about our culture and traditions and most importantly our language. Witnessing them learn and work hard makes me realize that is how we stop the intergenerational trauma ripple effect and start to heal from it."

She's heartened by the positive feedback that the team has received through their community-guided programs, noting that youth have expressed feeling safe in the space provided and enjoyed learning more about Stoney People's history and past.
On the personal side, Danielle is a former senior Chiniki Princess. Along with her fellow Mînî Thnî Two Spirits, she was one of the first Treaty 7 groups to participate in the Calgary Pride Parade.

Earl Makinaw-Labelle (fondly known as Joey), Youth Outreach Worker

As a youth outreach worker, Earl focuses as a school liaison. He is responsible for creating relationships and programs with several schools in Mînî Thnî, Exshaw and Canmore where the Îyarhe Nakoda Youth team regularly leads sharing circles and traditional knowledge teachings to community youth - in all grades, including those who are high risk - right in the classroom.

Working with youth is clearly a career-long passion for Earl. He claimed such pride in seeing many graduate high school and proudly embrace their Stoney Nakoda heritage. It's obvious that he approaches and views his role as an honour, as he shared that he will continue to share knowledge and help others on their learning journey when asked.

Outside of work, Earl enjoys dancing, singing and attending pow wows, playing instruments and spending spare time doing traditional crafts like beading, sewing and working with raw hide.

Carlene Stevens, Youth Outreach Worker

Carlene is the newest edition to the youth team brining years of prior experience as a child support worker with the daycare and Eagle's Nest to her role as youth outreach worker. She, like her team, is Mînî Thnî-born and raised, guided by strong Stoney Nakoda traditional and cultural values that she practices and teaches to her own family - her husband and her five children.

So far, her time over the summer involved joining youth in outdoor activities, recreation and cooking. In her words, she views her position as, "connecting with children and youth to set and model a respectful, positive and fun experience."

If she had to give a title to her life, "Always on the go. Winging just about anything into situations while adjusting my crown."
When asked to provide a fun fact, Carlene mentions an inclination to trip on her own feet. Editorial note: Hmmm..sounds familiar. Welcome Carlene! Your enthusiasm, wit and humour are a fantastic addition to the youth program and Stoney Health.

Meet the Team: Administrative Team

Administrative Team

ahmed

Ahmed Faied, Finance Officer

Ahmed returns to the Calgary area after living in central Canada - Toronto and Montreal - for the past few years. He's worked in accounting, finance and tax for more than two decades in several different industries including IT, real estate, oil and gas, auto and public accounting.

Originally from Egypt, where his mom and three sisters live, Ahmed moved to Canada in 2007 when he first developed an interest in working for the Stoney Nation. He has had a passion to help First Nation communities grow, develop and progress with time and appreciates First Nation's cultures and traditions that are similar to his pharaonic background.

His interests are many. You'll find him cooking, shopping, playing tennis, watching movies or heading out on a long drive when he has free time. Obviously, he enjoys the daily commute from south Calgary. Numbers are his passion and his life-long commitment. In fact, so much so that he's quick to note that he's married to the numbers. He loves being able to translate financials and numbers to non-financial people and help organizations to continue and last long-term.

Ahmed steps in to the role of finance officer while Tracy Chu takes an extended leave of absence. Welcome Ahmed!

Meet the Team: Community Health

Community Health

Chance McPherson, Community Health Nurse

Chance began practicing as a registered nurse in 2018 and his work has taken him all over Alberta. Prior to Stoney Health, he spent a year and a half working in Northern Alberta with a First Nations community during the pandemic, before moving southward.
He's also spent time in Jasper as a guide and interpreter and prides himself on his varied interests and experiences.
Now that he works with the community health team, he appreciates that the Stoney community has such a large healthcare team to provide services to the community. His memoir is in the works. Ask him about his experiences working as a nurse in a stereotypically career dominated by women. Welcome Chance to Stoney Health and the Community Health team!

Meet our Team: Harm Reduction and Sexual Health

Harm Reduction and Sexual Health Team

Harm Reduction and Sexual Health offers a safe space for people wanting confidential counseling, supplies, testing and treatment for safer substance use and sexual health. Our professional nursing staff and counselors are available to discuss your concerns and answer any questions.

Learn a little bit about the team – Heather, Heidi, Heila, Charlotte and Camille – below, why they do what they do and the program and services offered.

Lindsay Nycholat, Manager, Mental Health

Heather Benoit, nurse practitioner, Harm Reduction

Heather Benoit, Nurse Practitioner

Heather is started at Stoney Health early in 2022 and is the only nurse practitioner on staff. In addition, to her work here in Mînî Thnî, she also travels to Big Horn Reserve once a week to support that community.

Born and raised in Newfoundland and a member of the Qalipu First Nation, Heather has worked as a nurse practitioner for several Indigenous communities on the Prairies before coming to Stoney Health.

She's motivated to learn and evolve as a nurse and continually finds ways to step outside her comfort zone. Working in harm reduction is a new area for her so she's excited by the challenges and opportunities that it will provide

Interests? Like many on her team, she loves hiking, kayaking, snowboarding, paddleboarding, biking and camping along with her husband and favourite puppy. Fun fact: she has an identical twin sister who lives in Newfoundland and claims her career story could be titled, "Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable: A nursing saga."

Heila Lukas, Nurse, Harm Reduction

Heila Lukas, Harm Reduction Nurse

Heila has worked in many areas of nursing throughout her career, including palliative care, at a remand centre and even as an instructor at two Calgary-area universities. Fun fact, her first passion was farming and she worked in agriculture/research with farm animals, mice and sustainable farming methods.

Every area of nursing offers its benefits in Heila's opinion. As a community health nurse, she values working with clients in their own environment, getting to know and work with them to set goals and priorities for their everyday life. There is no one size fits all approach in her mind; you learn to adapt and be creative to suit the person.

As a harm reduction nurse and working with Stoney Nakoda people, she truly values when clients begin to trust the health system again and start to seek ways to improve their own health and wellness.

Heila rarely sits still as many co-workers notice her boundless energy. She's a mom to three teen girls, two cats and a dog. She counts hiking, biking, camping, paddling, skating or gardening among her many activities. If it's outdoors and adventure-filled, that's where you'll find Heila outside of work. If she's forced to stay indoors, however, you'll find her catching the latest true crime podcast or playing Sudoku.

Heidi Metz, Harm Reduction Nurse

Heidi Metz, Harm Reduction Nurse

Heidi has worked as a licensed practical nurse for 20+ years. She worked in rural health care in Saskatchewan before trying her hand at - and finding her true passion - in mental health and addictions care in small communities where she's able to engage and follow-up with her clients.

Cue, her chapter with Stoney Health Services. She appreciates the community feel on the reserve and the ability to practice her passion as one of the driving forces to come and work here. Feeling now like this could be a forever job. In particular, she appreciates the Stoney Nation's willingness and ability to allow her to be a part of their daily routine, stopping into say hi or asking questions always makes it a better day for her.

With a love of travel, road tripping, camping, hiking and snowboarding, she keeps active and on the go with her two kids. She's revered for her cookies and her ability to ask, 'Where is the Bathroom?' in four languages, no less. Her career story can be summed up by the title, "Nursing: A comedy in the making. The collections of a rural nurse."

Charlotte Sison, Social Worker, Harm Reduction

Charlotte Sison, Crisis Intervention Social Worker

Charlotte and her family immigrated to Calgary from the Philippines when she was a kid. Now she resides in a small town outside of Calgary with her husband, cat and dog and commutes daily to Mînî Thnî.

After spending a few years in Fort McMurray, Charlotte was looking to transition to a new role that would elevate her career and bring her closer to her home and family in Calgary. She found that she had enjoyed both working in a rural area and her experiences working with Indigenous Peoples but wanted to build her skills working in the health/medical field. Timing was everything, when she noticed an opening for a social worker with Stoney Health. She jumped at the chance as she felt it was a perfect fit for her next work adventure.

Working in harm reduction enables her to work alongside community members, while focusing and learning more about addictions, a new area for her to explore in her career. The fast-paced environment and one-on-one work also appeal to her.

She appreciates how welcoming the Stoney People are, and their willingness to share their culture and teach the ways of their people, which she feels help her in establishing trust and respect with her clients. She feels that she's already learned a lot, especially when it comes to participating in pipe ceremonies and sitting downs with Elders who share their stories.

In her personal time, Charlotte considers working out and cleaning as her main forms of self-care. Family is everything to her and she spends as much of her free time with them as she can. She's also a road tripper and enjoys hitting the foodie hotspots when she's in the city.

Camille Wendall-Barnes, Harm Reduction Nurse

Camille Wendell, Sexual Health Nurse

Camille (or Cami) is a single mom to three kids - two boys and a girl - and her youngest son was born with Down Syndrome.

Approaching her 30th year as a nurse, Cami's career began at a pediatric hospital in Texas and then she moved back home to Calgary to complete her nursing degree. She then worked in rural nursing in Three Hills and Banff before joining Stoney Health Centre to take on a position that provided more stable working hours that could accommodate her family life.

While at Stoney Health, she's worked in a few different departments as a community health nurse - the Well-Baby Clinic, clinic nurse and then had the opportunity to go full time with the Sexual Health program. She loves her role; the autonomy it provides and the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Simms and their shared commitment to screen, find and treat Hepatitis C.
Outside of work, her family keeps her hopping. Commenting on her lengthy career, she notes, "If I could write about my career the title would be...”I blinked and it was 30 years later”. She continues to love being a nurse, noting, "...to this day I still get excited when I say I am a Registered Nurse. It has been an amazing career."

Meet the Team: Turning Point social workers

Turning Point social workers

The faces behind the home and community care team bring years of collective nursing experience, a love of community and a pride in what they do to their roles with Stoney Health. The home care team seeks to help clients live as independently and safely within the community as possible. The team provides supplementary care and support offered by family and the community.

HeejungLee

Heejung Lee, Social Worker

Heejung recently joined the Turning Point team as a registered social worker. She may be a familiar face to many already as she completed her practicum with Stoney Health Services earlier this year.

Heejung immigrated to Canada from South Korea in 2011. Being away from home has made her appreciate her culture and language. She makes it a priority to connect with her South Korean culture whenever possible.

Since coming to Canada, she adopted 'the smartest and funniest' border collie named Mocha (in the picture).

Her positive experience working with the community and colleagues during her practicum inspired her to apply for a full time position with Stoney Health. In her words, "Listening to clients’ stories and building relationships with them is the best part of my job. I feel empowered by and have deep respect for the resiliency that the clients I work with and the community have shown. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow and to supporting the Stoney Nakoda community members".

JessicaKing

Jessica King, Social Worker


Jessica is another familiar face to the Stoney Nakoda community and to Stoney Health, in particular.

Prior to her new role, she worked for three years in Mînî Thnî as the family support worker/social worker with Stoney Health's allied health partner Renfrew Educational Services.

Building upon her previous work has helped her create some incredibly meaningful and genuine relationships with colleagues and Stoney Nakoda community members. Admittedly, most of her previous roles was supporting children and families with developmental needs, so she is eager to branch out and learning more about being a health care social worker.

She lives in Calgary with her partner and dog, Sonny, and enjoys the outdoors - hiking, camping and lake swimming. She finds that spending time outside is her surefire way to rechage.

When not outdoors, she also enjoys reading and is always looking for the next good read. She's also a big foodie and loves trying out new recipes. Send her your suggestions for books AND recipes.

Falls Prevention Awareness in November

November is Falls Prevention Month. Throughout the month, tips, advice and support will be offered to Nation members on how to prevent falls at home and in the community.

The Stoney Health Falls Prevention team supports older adults and Elders to stay active and reduce their risks of falls. Our staff works with the community to improve strength and balance, and develop ways to stay safe at home and in the community. 

Due to COVID, the Elder Wellness Group has been paused. Once safe gathering is once again available, the Elder Wellness Group will provide Elders with the opportunity to gather together, exercise, enjoy a meal, learn about Falls Prevention and participate in fun activities.

Tips to Prevent Falls

Source: Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council –  FindingBalanceAlberta.ca

Other Resources

Check out Safe For Elders for more ideas and ways to help you prevent falls.

Meet the Team: Falls Prevention

Katie Kenyon

Katie Kenyon, Physiotherapist

Katie graduated with a Physiotherapy degree in 2012 from the University of Alberta. Katie has worked as a physiotherapist in Alberta and BC in rural hospitals and clinics helping people to overcome injuries, chronic pain and disability. Katie joined Stoney Health Services in 2018 and has now found her “dream job”. She loves helping people to understand how their bodies work and learn new ways to reduce their pain and improve function.  In her role on the Falls Prevention Team, Katie works directly with clients work on exercise programs to improve their strength and balance, and to develop strategies to stay safe at home and in the community. Her favourite thing about working in Morley is the people – she loves their great sense of humour and stories. She feels it is a privilege to learn from and work with the Stoney Nation. Katie lives in Canmore with her husband, toddler and dog. They enjoy getting out in the Rockies hiking, biking, paddling and skiing. She also enjoys cooking and baking, and is doing her best to grow a little garden in the mountains.

Diabetes wellness: what you should know?

Meet the Team: Diabetes Wellness

November 14 is World Diabetes Day – a day to raise awareness and draw attention to some of the issues around access to diabetes care.

Indigenous people living in Canada are at the highest risk for diabetes and complications from the disease. We thought it would be important to share some resources and introduce the Stoney Health Service’s staff who support the community with education and counseling. 

Read on for some diabetes information and resources.

 

Mary-Guetg

Mary Guetg, Diabetes Nurse Educator

As a diabetes educator, Mary teaches individuals living with diabetes ways to improve their health outcomes by making lifestyle changes. That approach can include suggesting healthy food choices, increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary time or teaching about the role of anti-hyperglycemic medications. She's helped and seen many people improve their health with the support of the Stoney Health Service's Diabetes Wellness Program.

Outside of work, Mary is passionate about road cycling and takes advantage of the weekends to hit the road, biking anywhere from Lake Louise to Okotoks. To her, working so close to the Rocky Mountains is a true benefit of the job. "Morley is in one the most beautiful areas of Alberta. Working at Stoney Health Services gives me the opportunity to appreciate the majestic Rocky Mountains everyday."

Honoured by the experience in working with the Stoney Nakoda, she enjoys getting to know the people in the community and learning about their culture. Capping off her experience, she loves her clients' sense of humour, claiming that "Stoney Nakoda people have the best sense of humour!"

children

Mayra Regan, Dietitian

Mayra began her career as a dietitian and worked with Mayan Indigenous communities before moving to Canada. Once here in Canada, Mayra completed a bridge program to be able to work as a registered dietitian in Nova Scotia. When she moved to Alberta, she worked at Camp Chief Hector as a food service director for a few years. She currently works with seniors with the Brenda Strafford Foundation in Calgary and at Stoney Health Services. In her personal life, Mayra is married and the mother of two kind and curious children, Annabella and Christopher and a beautiful Yorkie-Chihuhua named Lolita. Mayra enjoys swimming, dancing, boxing, biking and hiking. During her sparse quiet time, she enjoys watching movies with her husband. Mayra loves working with people and providing support to live a healthy life style. Her job has given her the opportunity to learn from the Stoney people for the past four years.

Diabetes Information & Resources

Did you know that insulin was a Canadian discovery? 

5 Minutes of Canadian history

Healthy Eating and Diabetes

Physical Activity and Diabetes

Meet the Team: Home and Community Care

Home and community care

The faces behind the home and community care team bring years of collective nursing experience, a love of community and a pride in what they do to their roles with Stoney Health. The home care team seeks to help clients live as independently and safely within the community as possible. The team provides supplementary care and support offered by family and the community.

In this first part of a two-part series (it’s a large team), we feature four staff who exude pride in what they do and who they care and support. Read on to learn more about some of Stoney Health’s valued frontline staff.

AnneMalimban

Anne Malimban, Home and Community Care Manager

If asked to describe her role as a title of a book, Anne offers The many hats I wear as a home care nurse manager, explaining that as a home care nurse, sometimes you need to respond in ways that are unpredictable and unexpected. "Working in home care typically means you are providing services in the individual’s home where you become resourceful when faced with challenges. You have a lot of autonomy that enables you to develop stronger clinical skills...You make a greater difference in the lives of your client because you get to spend so much one-on-one time with the client and their family in the comfort of their own home where you can develop trust and rapport. You get to see the client in their environment and each visit can be as varied as the clients themselves which keeps me stimulated and make the job more exciting."

After immigrating to Canada from the Philippines when she was 10, Anne started her nursing career with a medical/surgical unit in Alberta Health Services. Drawn to the people and culture, eventually she made her way to Stoney Health where she's been for the past 10 years.

In her free time, Anne is kept busy with two school-aged children. Her family spends their time being active - hiking, camping, snowboarding, skating and a full range of outdoor activities. She firmly believes in self care and you can probably find her in the kitchen baking and decorating cakes when she's not enjoying the great outdoors.

Melinda Hubbard, First Nation Client Liaison

Melinda lives at home with her husband, three kids (one out of the house), a cat and the promise of a new furry-four legged friend this fall joining their family. Born and raised in Fort McMurray, Melinda is proud of her Metis heritage.
She worked at SHS back in 2012 in various roles……clinic nurse, homecare nurse, diabetes nurse, then had a “midlife crisis” as some would say ( or what she fondly refers to as 'following her heart') and left for two years to study to become a butcher - a lifelong passion. It easily follows then that she loves cooking, baking, smoking meat, making bacon, hams - the list goes on. She is a foodie at heart and the staff based at Wesley Lodge benefit from her many culinary talents.
She loves her new position as First Nations Client Liaison, helping the community with varying requests and needs and collaborating with numerous organizations to get the best possible care for community members.

Loralee House, Home Care Aide, Stoney Health Services

Loralee House, Health Care Aide

Loralee is the newest Home Care team member having recently completed her health care aide certification at Bow Valley College and plans to extend her education as a registered nurse in the future.

In her role as health care aide, she enjoys providing compassionate care to clients within the community by being able to support their activities of daily living.

As a fluent Stoney speaker, she feels that it's important to be able to help clients understand their health care needs by translating into Stoney. In her own words, "I believe this translation builds a stronger communication in the community, as it fills in the gap of discrimination within the healthcare system."

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her children, going on family hikes and photography.

Naomi Kaquitts, Home Care Aide, Stoney Health Services

Naomi Kaquitts, Health Care Aide

Naomi began her role with Stoney Health in 2019 as a First Nations' cultural liaison and transitioned to a health care aide (HCA) in 2021. She loves her role as an HCA and really enjoys helping people in her own community, stating, "Working for home care is the best job I've had."

Naomi is the proud mom to two children and also a pet mom of one cat. Being with her family, binge watching TV shows, reading, doing bead work, sewing and traveling top her list of interests and things to do when she has free time.

Now that she works with Stoney Health, she loves having a chance to offer support and help to the elders and people of the community. As a Stoney Nation member, she speaks both Stoney and English fluently. Speaking Stoney plays a big part of her job and she thanks for family for speaking it at home every day when she was younger.

Georgina Lefthand, Home Care Aide

Georgina Lefthand, Health Care Aide

Georgina's path to Stoney Health began with the gentle encouragement from her late Ena. When her mom was ailing, Georgina was there to help with her care. She watched her mom's home care workers enviously and recalls telling her mom how much she wished she could do that. Her mom responded, "You will one day when I leave (pass on). I will make sure of that."

Six months after her mom passed away, Georgina accepted a short-term contract with Stoney Health. She strongly believes that her late Ena made her wish come true. Now 17 years later she still serves her community and Elders with the same dedication and love for what she does.

Georgina is the second youngest of six and the daughter of residential school survivors. She is honoured to have grown up within a strict home environment and values her family's teachings. She is proud to be a single mother to three - one of whom also works for Stoney Health - and also a grandmother. She shares that her joy today comes from her family and watching them on their chosen paths.

KristaNelson

Krista Nelson, Home Care Nurse

One of two Newfoundlanders in home care, Krista graduated from nursing in the mid-90s and headed west to Alberta. She spent several years at Foothills Hospital before moving to Vancouver Island where she worked in home and long-term care.

Along with her husband and kids (now teens), she returned to Alberta in 2016 and started working in Morley. They've since added a few cats and a puppy to their family. Needless to say, there's not a lot of "Krista time" at the end of the day.

She credits Stephanie, also a home care nurse and long-time friend who she met during nursing school, for encouraging her to apply for a position with Stoney Health.

To her, "Morley is an amazing place to work and I love the diversity that home care provides. Each day brings something new and challenging."

Whole-heartedly believing she won the nursing lottery with the 'best job ever,' she loves working with the Stoney Nakoda people. She's always felt welcomed into their homes where she's met so many wonderful people over the past five years.

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Stephanie Shelstad, Home Care Nurse

The other Newfoundlander on the home care team, Stephanie reigns from Bell Island, a small island off the Newfoundland coast where boat is the only mode of transport to get in or out. She graduated from nursing in St. John's and moved to Alberta to pursue her career back in the late 1990s, working in maternity at Foothills Hospital and a short stint in Primary Care in Cochrane.

She joined Stoney Health as an opportunity to branch out and try a new area of nursing and loves learning about the people, hearing their stories and learning about the culture and language. She even will attempt a Stoney phrase now and then to make people giggle with her pronunciation.

Interacting with community members is what she enjoys most about home care. Helping others and making them feel better when their health isn’t the greatest and assisting them to access services to improve their wellbeing in the comforts of their own home also keep her motivated.

Stephanie is a baking enthusiast and loves making cakes, really ALL THINGS CAKE! When not covered in flour, she enjoys spending time with friends playing cards or chatting around a roaring fire surrounded by her husband, two step children and their twins. You know she's busy in her spare (if any) time.

In closing she offered, "Most of my career I thought maternity nursing was where all the fun was…then I became a nurse on a First Nation Reserve."

Suzanne (3)_edited

Suzanne Sihikal, Home Care Nurse

Suzanne is an indigenous nurse who hails from Treaty 1 Territory. She graduated from nursing 33 years ago at the mere age of 7. 😉 She has spent most of her career in the great white north - the real north, way past Edmonton - sampling nearly every area of nursing before landing happily in home care.

With a passion for First Nations' health, Suzanne firmly believes in a holistic approach to wellness and health and loves seeing people in their own homes. She feels it is an honour to be part of their healing journey.

When she's not working, you can find Suzanne off hiking, biking, paddling or simply enjoying the outdoors. She claims that she will never be able to retire as her two young, very independent girls keep pursing biathlon at the national and international level, while also attending post-secondary school. She self-titled her autobiography Second chances, Third chances, Fourth Chances believing you can try to attain any dream possible. Getting up and continuing the race is just as important as winning.

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Natisha Snow, Home Care Nurse

Working as a home care nurse for Stoney Health Services and meeting Nation members for the first time or seeing them again after many years away have highlighted Natisha's return to work. She missed the humor, the laughs, and especially the language.

Now that she's hearing the Stoney language more, she's started to listen more, recognizing the importance of keeping the language alive with and for her children. She hopes to gain the community’s trust as she works her way from a new grad to an experienced Licensed Practical Nurse. She's passionate about her role here and hopes to make a difference within the community for generations to come. In her words, "If you had told me 10 years ago that I would come back to Mînî Thnî and work as a nurse, I never would have believed you. I left for Calgary back in 2011 for better opportunities and although it was uncomfortable being in a big city alone and I missed my family—I knew I had to tough it out."

She goes on further, "Growth is uncomfortable, it’s something you’ve never done before or worked towards because sitting and waiting for opportunities is easier. Starting off as a statistic (teen mom) to now is what drives me to go further and learn as much as I can." That’s why she would title a book about her journey as “Look at You Go” because it describes her current momentum.

Recently, she's become a car enthusiast and attended car shows/meets/races for the past two summers. Introduced by her husband, she's been obsessed ever since, saying "He is also a mechanic so If you’ve ever heard my little Golf roar to life at the Wesley Lodge well then you know it wasn’t my idea."

Meet the Team: Family Resource Network

Meet the Team: Family Resource Network

In a new installment, we highlight Stoney Health Services’ teams and the friendly faces behind our programs. 

We continue the feature of our growing Family Resource Network led by program manager Ellen Thuringer. The Family Resource Network team includes Amanda Goodstoney, Laura Gray, Laura Allan and Pamela Olver who all specialize in a range of early childhood education areas and offer programming that is centered in Stoney Nakoda traditions and cultural practices. The Family Resource Network welcomes all Stoney families and encourages them to reach out for further details. 

Amanda Goodstoney, Family Support Worker

Amanda Goodstoney

Amanda Goodstoney is a member of Stoney Nation and speaks the Stoney language. She has three wonderful children and lives in Mînî Thnî and enjoys attending powwows, listening to music, reading books and enjoying nature and the traditional harvest season.

Amanda has worked for several years with families and other agencies coordinating community educational programs. In her current role as a family support worker with Stoney Family Resource Network, Amanda provides families and caregivers mentoring and support services with a goal to enhance parenting skills. She is trained and certified in the three different parent resources programs - Nurturing Parenting Model, Triple P Positive Parenting Model, ASQ, ACEs - The function and development of the Brain.

She is comfortable teaching traditional parenting lessons with young parents and caregivers, and facilitates a variety of Community Educational Programs on topics such as, adverse childhood experiences, building positive relationship with your children, positive communication skills, budgeting and meal planning.

Laura Gray, In-Home Family Coach (Home Visitor)

Laura Gray is our In-Home Family Coach (home visitor) at the Stoney Family Resource Network.

She draws upon a strong background in counselling, child development and family crisis support and has previously worked in the areas of homelessness and family placement.

She's a deeply passionate advocate for families with a mission is to empower each family by building a supportive relationship that enables them to nurture their children to realize their full potential.

At home, she's a mom to three kids, and three fur babies and lives in the Cochrane area. She came to Canada from the UK in 2011 with her family. When she's not working or being the 'taxi Mom', she enjoys being with friends, hiking, biking, camping or diving into a good book, indulging in arts and crafts. A new paddleboarder, she's set a goal of paddling home from work, at least once next year.

She's thrilled to be a part of the Stoney Health Services team and creating space and a nurturing environment where families can thrive.

Laura Allan, Early Years Facilitator
(ON PERSONAL LEAVE)

Laura Allan

Laura Allan, BCST, ELCC rejoined the community last year when she started working as an early years facilitator with the Stoney Family Resource Network. Previously she worked as the director of Wesley Childcare. In her role, she advocates and facilitates the importance of early childhood education and healthy child development for Stoney families.
Laura is available to offer support in any of the following ways:

  • Advocating on the behalf of children and family needs physically, emotionally, & mentally
  • Increasing protective factors for children by improving parenting knowledge & skills
  • Facilitating of Ages & Stages Questionnaires
  • Creating individual child milestone plans
  • Information & referrals to access resources and service delivery
  • Facilitating the Nurturing Parenting Program
  • Creating social connections for young children
  • Yethka Preschool Playtime
  • Creating father-child activities and events for connection
  • Planning and implementing holiday & seasonal celebrations
  • Arts & crafts

    • Pamela Olver, Headstart Teacher

    Pam Oliver, early child facilitator

    Pamela Olver is a true outdoors woman! Whether it’s sitting around a fire, cooking a feast outdoors or foraging, spending time in the great outdoors is what occupies Pamela's time and energy when she’s not at work. You might also catch her heading out on a canoe trip in northern Saskatchewan with her husband and two kids or see her riding by on her bike, skis or snowshoes nearby her home in Cochrane.

    Pamela recently started as a early childhood facilitator with Stoney Health and claims to be most excited about her role because of a pure love of working with children and a passion for empowering and supporting families.

    She has a strong background in early childhood education and in particular working with at-risk moms, especially teens. She also is an experienced doula. Her skills and talents are welcome in the community as she looks to support and work with local moms on their path as parents.

    May is also Physiotherapy Month

    May is also Physiotherapy Month

    Speech and Physio Posters-02

    PHYSIOTHERAPY – What is it? How does it help?

    Physiotherapists have specialized training in physical function, movement, and mobility. They are the movement experts of the health field and can help people manage pain, injury, or disability.

    A pediatric physiotherapist works with kids under the age of 21 (even infants!) and is capable of helping in a variety of situations:

    • Physical development concerns in newborns (ex. flat head, tight neck, not rolling or crawling on time, walking on tip toes). 
    • Disabilities that can have an impact on physical function (ex. Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism, brain injury).
    • Equipment fitting such as wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches. 
    • Anatomical disorders that cause pain and/or loss of function (ex. hip dysplasia, scoliosis).
    • General pain and injury (ex. ankle sprain, back pain).
    • Healthy lifestyle promotion and getting kids active!

    Like all health professionals, physiotherapists care about you and your well-being and will work together with other members of your health team to ensure that you are getting the best care possible. A good physiotherapist will make sure that you and your family understand your condition so that you are able to better help yourself and keep moving for life! 

    Our local physio from Renfrew Educational Services, Trevor, is here to help support kids and families of the Stoney Nakoda Nation. All treatments are free of charge, and you do not need a doctor referral to see a physio! You can message us on Facebook with any questions you might have, or you can call/text our team cell phone at (403) 701-4181.