High praise for a local nurse.
Chatham-Kent’s Willi Kirenko has been given the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario Gerry Gerow Award, the highest honour a nurse practitioner can receive in the province.
“I’ve been focusing on assisting people with exploring medical assistance in dying,” Kirenko says. “I’m proud to say that I’ve assisted many individuals exploring medical assistance in dying, I’ve helped other providers with training to be able to provide this very important service.”
Kirenco says she doesn’t understand why there’s still so much stigma attached to medically-assisted dying.
“I think it’s going to become more common,” she says. “People are taking about their end of life choices. I think as the population is aging, this is something we all ought to talk to our families and loved ones about.”
The NPAO cited Kirenko’s tireless leadership and dedication to patients and her profession.