The Rehab Team in The Pas is a group of dedicated Allied Health professionals who are passionate about supporting the health and well-being of people across Northern communities. Together, they bring more than 100 years of combined experience, with team members ranging from 2 to 32 years in their professions.

Working in the Northern Health Region means no two days are ever the same. The team provides services across the continuum of care and across the lifespan, supporting clients of all ages and at all stages of their health journey. As part of each client’s care team, they work closely with others to help support progress, independence, and positive change.

A big part of their work is the time they spend one-on-one with clients. This helps build strong relationships, encourages engagement, and supports clients as they navigate the healthcare system. Their approach is centred on connection, trust, and meeting people where they are.

The team is also actively involved in student placements, helping to train and mentor future Allied Health professionals. This brings both unique challenges and valuable opportunities, while also highlighting what it’s like to work in Northern communities.

Looking ahead, the Rehab Team in The Pas hopes to continue raising awareness about the important role rehabilitation services play within the care team. Their goal is to help expand access to these vital services and ensure people in the North receive the care and support they need.

For the past 20 years, Joanna LeDoux, RD, has been a dedicated Community Dietitian at the Flin Flon Primary Health Care Centre, supporting individuals and communities across Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage, and Snow Lake.

Joanna’s dietician role can include everything from one-on-one nutrition counselling with outpatients to facilitating cooking circles, delivering workshops, organizing community gardens, and advocating for food security. She partners with local organizations such as the Lord’s Bounty Food Bank, schools, the Friendship Centre, and the Child and Family Resource Centre to help meet the unique needs of the communities she serves.

What makes her role especially meaningful is its adaptability. “The duties of my position are based on community needs, so it’s always evolving,” Joanna explains. “I’m able to assess those needs and then work alongside the community to address them.”

While she finds joy in many aspects of her work, Joanna highlights one favourite: the cooking circles she facilitates. “It’s one thing to teach people about nutrition—it’s another to show them how to put it into practice.” These hands-on experiences bring people together, build skills, and make healthy eating more accessible and achievable.

Joanna’s passion for her profession began early. Even as a child, she knew she wanted to work in health care. Nutrition stood out because it blends treatment with prevention, allowing her to support people not only in managing health conditions, but also in improving their overall well-being.

For Joanna, one of the most rewarding signs of success may seem unexpected. “The moments that stand out most are when clients feel well enough that they no longer need my services,” she says. “In community work, the goal is to empower people to the point where you’re no longer needed.”

Looking ahead, Joanna sees a growing need for allied health professionals, along with exciting changes driven by technology. Despite the evolution of the field, one thing remains constant: the importance of connection, education, and community-based care.

And while she jokes that dietitians aren’t always known for being “fun or cool,” Joanna and her colleagues prove otherwise every day—bringing energy, compassion, and a sense of community to everything they do.

Jennifer has been a dedicated Mental Health Promotion Coordinator in Thompson since 2012, bringing passion and a deep sense of purpose to her work. Over the years, she has become an integral part of a small but mighty team, where collaboration and mutual support fuel meaningful impact across the region.

What Jennifer values most about her role is the variety and autonomy it offers. No two days are the same—instead, her work is shaped by opportunities to connect, engage, and respond to the unique needs of the people she serves. Whether she is leading mental health training sessions, developing educational resources, or promoting awareness through public initiatives, Jennifer thrives on building relationships and fostering understanding among individuals from all walks of life.

A defining moment in her career came when she was named the Manitoba recipient of the 2026 Canadian Association of Social Workers Distinguished Service Award. This recognition reflects not only her dedication and leadership, but also the meaningful difference she continues to make in the lives of others. Jennifer is deeply grateful to those who nominated and supported her, as well as to the many colleagues and community members who share in her commitment to mental health promotion.

Looking ahead, Jennifer sees a growing need for diverse and collaborative approaches to health and wellbeing. She believes that as health services face increasing pressures and everyday life becomes more demanding, it is essential to embrace a wide range of roles and perspectives within Allied Health. By doing so, communities can be better supported in achieving and maintaining positive mental health.

Through her work, Jennifer exemplifies compassion, innovation, and a genuine dedication to helping others—making her an invaluable asset to both her team and the broader community.

Clients at the Rosaire House Addiction Treatment Centre in The Pas know that when they walk through the centre’s doors they will be greeted with warmth, support and encouragement through each step of their recovery journey.

For many clients, that welcome and judgement free support is provided by “Momma Bear Shannon” social worker and team lead, who encourages clients to live by her personal daily mantra of ‘be grateful for today and work harder for tomorrow’. 

“Momma Bear”, also known as Shannon Case, has intimate knowledge of what it’s like to struggle with addiction as well as the effects of losing loved ones to the battle.

“I have walked in the same shoes as some of my clients and I know what those feelings are,” said Case who uses her experiences and ongoing journey in support of her clients. “I have done a lot of healing through journaling and by taking a good look at myself – because if you don’t deal with your own issues it’s hard to help anybody else. To this day I still work on it.”  

Case’s time in The Pas began more than twenty years ago, when her family moved to the community so Shannon could complete the Healthcare Aide program at University College of the North. Starting over and committing to a new career is a season of life that Case looks back on fondly, remembering nights as a mature student when she would sit at the kitchen table with her two daughters doing homework together in their new home.

“Going back to school was a big adjustment, not just for me but my whole family,” she said. “We didn’t think we would stay in The Pas for long but when my instructors saw me excel and believed I could do more they inspired me to continue my education here.”

“Now, at the end of each day, I go home proud of what I’ve done to help others within my community.”

The healing and recovery process at Rosaire House is a client led 28-day program and the centre can accommodate up to 12 clients at a time. Programming is tailored to the individual and may include different sharing circles and counselling sessions depending on their needs. The centre has everything you would expect in a home, including a kitchen with tasks assigned to each person, including washing dishes and cooking.

“Everybody’s needs are different because every client is different,” explained Case. “If you want to cook, you can. We’ll make deep fried perogies. You can smudge or pray if you want, we even offer acupuncture. We will do whatever it takes to get you better.”

For Case, serving in a role where she is able to provide encouragement and careful compassion to both her team as well as helping clients turn their dreams and goals into a reality, is extremely fulfilling.

“I walk alongside clients but they do the hard work. Nobody can fix your problems for you,” said Case. “I let them share and tell their story as they work through it, because that’s how we heal.”  

Case follows the seven traditional sacred teachings in her practice; wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth, – while finding and sharing humour in the every day.

“Laughter is healing medicine and each of us need it,” she said. “We tend to take things too seriously. Having a good sense of humour is 101 when working with addictions.”

The team at Rosaire House Addiction Treatment Centre is focused on a holistic way of healing, understanding it isn’t easy to interrupt the negative cycle of addiction. The Centre is a safe place where clients may come back two or three times before they’re ready to truly understand the message and heal.

“When some of our previous clients come back through our doors, I always say, ‘I’m glad you’re back’” shared Case. “Having clients return to the program for another attempt at a substance-free life inspires me.”

“The most rewarding part of my work actually happens outside of work, when I run into clients who have left our program and are still maintaining their substance-free or a harm-reduction way of life while maintaining their families and employment goals,” Case added.   

Case’s work has a positive impact that ripples throughout her community, touching the lives of her clients and the people around them.      

“A client recently told me that I helped them move past their trauma to become who they are today and shared that they had brought a loved one to our centre, encouraging them to seek help from our team along their journey too.”