The FIQ participated in the symposium for the 40th anniversary of the Ralliement des Infirmières et Infirmières Auxiliaires Haïtiennes de Montréal (RIIAH)
On September 15 and 16, Régine Laurent, Linda Bouchard and Linda Lapointe attended the Colloque du 40e anniversaire du Ralliement des Infirmières et Infirmières Auxiliaires Haïtiennes de Montréal (RIIAH).
Not only did Régine Laurent give a presentation on broadening the scope of the role of healthcare professionals to increase care accessibility, but she also paid tribute to the RIIAH:
The RIIAH’s 40th anniversary brings back memories of my days as a young nurse. In fact, my first encounter with RIIAH members was in the late 1980s. I was filled with admiration and pride at seeing these pioneers walking around my hospital educating people on HIV-AIDS, and explaining the latest scientific findings in layman’s terms. Their goal was to make the healthcare services more humane for patients and their families, many of whom were from the Haitian community. It took courage to confront the prevailing biases in society and hospitals.
They helped hundreds upon hundreds of patients to live and die with some dignity.
These courageous women, and those who followed in their footsteps over the last four decades, possessed the skills and knowledge to adapt to the context and embrace causes related to physical and psychological health.
To this day, I admire the RIIAH members’ spirit of sharing. They share their knowledge with the public. They share with young people, reach out to them and help them take their rightful place.
I salute your perseverance!
Thank you for bringing warmth to health services!
Let’s hold the RIIAH torch high!