Edmonton, AB – On Friday November 4th, the Honourable Laurie Hawn, PC, CD, MP for Edmonton Centre was honoured with the ‘Friends of Rehab Award’ for his work with the Glenrose Rehabilitation Centre and its Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) virtual reality medical treatment system. The award was received at the University of Alberta’s 2011 Alberta Rehabilitation Awards (formerly known as ARCC).
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to help such a worthy cause and am honoured by the recognition of this award,” said MP Laurie Hawn following the ceremony.
The Friends of Rehab Award exists to acknowledge those who work to improve delivery of rehabilitation services at the national, provincial or local level. It honours individuals or organizations who have exercised creative and effective leadership on behalf of rehabilitation programs and individuals to expand services, develop partnerships and/or implement new programs. The leadership may be formal or informal.
“The real heroes are the professionals and volunteers at the University of Alberta and facilities like the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital,” added MP Hawn.
ARA’s Annual Awards Dinner is an interdisciplinary event attended by members and friends of the rehabilitation fields – Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. It is an opportunity to honor professionals and support personnel who have provided exemplary service within their respective fields. The Awards also serve to raise the profile of the rehabilitation fields. An award recognizing exemplary coverage of rehabilitation related news (the Excellence in Media Award) is amongst the award categories. The rehabilitation community is encouraged to nominate members of the media for local as well as wider coverage of news stories that emphasize the value of our service.
“Rehab programs are so critical to achieving the highest possible quality of life for our current and veteran military personnel, as well as civilians, so it’s important that we do all we can together to make that possible,” said MP Hawn. “I draw a lot of personal inspiration from the clients of rehab and the people who work with them, making it easy to become motivated to help wherever possible.”