Dana Norton, manager

Dana, the unit manager for the Stroke Early Supported Discharge Team at St. Mary’s Hospital, has always advocated for collaboration between her teams and services in rural areas. When virtual visits began replacing in-person meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dana saw an opportunity. She organized a team of health professionals to use virtual technology to treat clients with post-COVID-19 symptoms in underserved rural areas in Alberta.

The Provincial Post-COVID Virtual Early Supported Discharge Team included the disciplines of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, social work and psychology. Dana also brought together allied health therapists from Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health who lived in various rural and urban areas. To reach potential clients, she worked with Alberta Health Services to organize a referral process. The coalition completed a three-month trial and received rave reviews from staff and clients enrolled in the program.

A forward thinker and a true collaborator with a vast network to call on, Dana is always seeking ways to provide even better patient care. She continues to champion the use of virtual services to reach rural clients within the Stroke Early Supported Discharge program. Dana and her team continue to collaborate with allied health teams throughout Alberta’s central zone to provide exceptional stroke rehabilitation.