Northern Health nurses recently were personally thanked for their contributions during 2020 by the Governor of Victoria.

On Friday, 18 December 2020, Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, and Mr Anthony Howard AM QC, hosted a reception at Government House in honour of the nursing profession.

Ten Northern Health nurses who represented all of the dedicated nurses and midwives at Northern Health attended, along with a number of nurses from different health services across Victoria.

The event was held to recognise the incredible efforts of Victorian nurses in 2020, particularly those nurses who cared for patients with COVID-19.

The Governor greeted attendees and thanked them all for their invaluable contribution during the pandemic. She even gave a special mention to Northern Health. The Governor acknowledged and personally thanked Northern Health staff for the significant role they played in Victoria’s response to COVID-19.

Johanna Hayes, Director of Community Programs, was one of the attendees representing Northern Health. She said, “I felt very privileged to be invited along with nine other nurses from Emergency, Intensive Care, Ward 16, Aged Care, Residential In-Reach and the Community Monitoring Program. We were able to describe to the Governor some of the contributions of nurses, and also the challenges we faced. It was a wonderful event at the beautiful Government House. We would also like to thank Debra Bourne and Maria Tucker for the opportunity to attend.”

“I was honoured to represent Northern Health, and, in particular, Specialist Clinics, for the significant contributions made during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a fantastic evening, with the opportunity to share and listen to stories from nurses who provided extraordinary care to help keep Victorians safe during the most challenging of times,” said Cathy Fletcher, Specialist Clinics Nurse Unit Manager.

Featured Image: The Governor speaking to staff members, Paula Lennox and Johanna Hayes who represented Northern Health (Image Source: Governor of Victoria Twitter Page)