TORONTO, April 10, 2005 – This year’s recipients of the seventh annual  Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) Award for Excellence in  Health-Care Reporting have produced stories that inform, inspire, engage – and sometimes enrage – readers in communities across Ontario. From news coverage on costly cancer medications and drug abuse to features on  community nursing, nutrition, native health, and new hope for cystic  fibrosis patients, the latest crop of award-winning reporters include:

• Lisa Day, Toronto Community News, The Scarborough Mirror, for her  exploration of how research is helping people with Cystic Fibrosis plan for  the future, Diagnosis: Longer, Better Life (August 2004)
  Category: Community Newspaper, Best Feature
• Anne Kelly, The Record (Kitchener/Waterloo), for her feature profiling the  work of an Ontario RN who visits Africa annually to treat the people of  Matangwe, Help for Matangwe (September 2004)
  Category: Daily Newspaper, Best Feature
• Holly Lake, The Ottawa Sun, for her five-part series on nutrition and  health, What’s Eating Us? (October/November 2004)
  Category: Daily Newspaper, Best Series
• Brook Latimer, CBC Radio One (Thunder Bay), for her in-depth report on the  abuse of a drug called oxycontin, Oxycontin Abuse (July 2004)
  Category: Radio, Best Local or Regional Broadcast
• Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa Citizen, for her coverage of the detrimental  health and economic affects of high cost drugs, Why a 49-year-old drug is  bankrupting cancer patients (February 2004)
  Category: Daily Newspaper, Best News Story
• Anna Piekarski, The North Bay Nugget, for her feature about North Bay’s  Victorian Order of Nurses, Knocking on Doors since 1899 (May 2004)
  Category: Student Journalism
• Jody Porter, CBC Radio One (Thunder Bay), for her examination of federal  government cuts and policies, and their impact on Aboriginal Health, Native
  Health Care (February 2004)
  Category: Daily Newspaper, Best News Story

“With this award, RNAO recognizes and rewards reporters who probe important  health-care issues, often revealing how nurses contribute to improving the  health of individuals and communities – despite many challenges,” says RNAO  President Joan Lesmond. “We salute those reporters who look beyond the   obvious angle and write stories that advance our understanding of the issues  facing health-care professionals and the public they serve.” This year’s winners will receive their awards at the President’s Banquet  during RNAO’s annual general meeting, Friday, April 22, at the Hilton Suites  Toronto/Markham Conference Centre.

RNAO is the professional association representing registered nurses wherever  they practice in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has lobbied for healthy public  policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’  contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions  that affect nurses and the public they serve.

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