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Board of Directors
Michelle Kakegamic, President
Michelle Kakegamic is from Muskrat Dam First Nation and is currently residing in Thunder Bay. Michelle works at the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) Tribal Council as the Home and Community Care (HCC) Nurse Manager which provides services to 6 northern communities. She is a mother of toddler triplet girls and an 8 year old son. She has spent her entire professional nursing career serving the Indigenous population, starting as a RPN at Sioux Lookout Menoyawin Hospital. She then went on to receive her RN degree and spent many years at Weeneebayko General Hospital in Moose Factory. Michelle has a strong passion for the Indigenous population and would love to see her people stay in the communities as long as possible. This is why she decided to go into home and community care nursing.
president@nohccn.ca
Miriam Cook, Treasurer
Miriam began her career as a nurse in 2017 and as a Community Health Nurse in Slate Falls First Nation. Her passion for home care began in 2018, when she began working for Windigo First Nation Council in Slate Falls, which eventually led to expanding home care services to Cat Lake, Bearskin Lake and Sandy Lake communities.
Working in various locations has given Miriam the experience and knowledge in challenges of providing home care nursing in the northern communities. She enjoys working with the community-based workers and supporting them in anyway she can. She admires advocacy and contributes this for her growth in nursing and ensuring the needs of clients are met at home.
She is very happy and looking forward to working with the board of the NOHCCN and learning her new role, and to learn from others. She wishes to give thanks for this opportunity.
treasurer@nohccn.ca
Kerri Koski
Kerri Koski is a Registered Nurse working as a Home Care Nurse/Case Manager with the Windigo First Nation Council. Kerri has always identified herself as a “healer” and pursued her calling in Nursing. She earned her degree in Nursing in 2017 from Lakehead University and began her nursing career as a Certified Diabetes Educator, serving various remote First Nation communities over the years.
Her passion to provide care for First Nation communities has directed her career to the Home Care sector. Being able to provide care in her clients’ homes has always brought her deeper understanding of the importance of hoome care services in the First Nation communities. Her goal as a Home Care Nurse is to be able to bridge some of the challenges that her clients face living in northern isolated communities.
Kerri is thankful for the opportunity and looks forward to working with the NOHCCN board.
vicepresident@nohccn.ca
Donna Corston
Donna is a mother to four beautiful daughters and a lovely wife to a wonderful husband who has been in her life since the age of 15. Her career presently is working as a full-time Home Care Coordinator and Home Care Community Nurse when required. Donna’s nursing career started in the year 2000 when she began working at Weeneebayko Area Health Authority Hospital in Moose Factory as a Registered Practical nurse in an inpatient department which consisted of a combined unit of maternity, ICU, Surgical, PEADS, LTC etc. Building experience in all areas and working on the floor fostered a desire to learn and expand her knowledge and she applied for a clinical position within the hospital. Working for 20 + years in the hospital was such a blessing and she loved meeting new staff and patients. Her admiration for advocating on behalf of her community has her wanting to learn and experience new nursing roles.
cedar@nohccn.ca
Kerri Koski
Kerri Koski is a Registered Nurse working as a Home Care Nurse/Case Manager with the Windigo First Nation Council. Kerri has always identified herself as a “healer” and pursued her calling in Nursing. She earned her degree in Nursing in 2017 from Lakehead University and began her nursing career as a Certified Diabetes Educator, serving various remote First Nation communities over the years.
Her passion to provide care for First Nation communities has directed her career to the Home Care sector. Being able to provide care in her clients’ homes has always brought her deeper understanding of the importance of hoome care services in the First Nation communities. Her goal as a Home Care Nurse is to be able to bridge some of the challenges that her clients face living in northern isolated communities.
Kerri is thankful for the opportunity and looks forward to working with the NOHCCN board.
vicepresident@nohccn.ca
Maxine Crow
Maxine Crow of Naotkamegwannig First Nation has been Community Care Coordinator since 2007. Prior to this, she was a Personal Support Worker for 2 years. Maxine has lived in her home community all her life, only leaving to attend college in Thunder Bay where she received her Developmental Services Diploma.
Maxine’s steadfast dream was to care for her community and this became a passion when Maxine’s grandfather fell ill, and gaps in care were obvious. This lit a passion inside her to honor the wishes of community members in their journey, while living in the comforts of their own home, and to stay in community as long as possible with family. Maxine was instrumental in the development of Wiisokotatiwin Program introducing culturally relevant palliative care into her community and continues to advocate for optimal care while honouring Naokamegwanning’s strong cultural values and beliefs.
Maxine comes from a strong knit family and carries the motherhood role of 6 sons, 3 daughters and 11 grandchildren.
spruce@nohccn.ca
Carol Fobister
Carol Fobister is from Grassy Narrows First Nation, where she works as a Home and Community Care Coordinator. Carol started her journey in home care as a homemaker. She had a Personal Support Worker Certificate and was promoted to Home and Community Care Coordinator, a position she has held for 14 years. In 2019, she received her diploma in Indigenous Wellness and Addictions Prevention. She is passionate about Homecare and is dedicated to training and education geared to her career in Homecare.
She has been married for 22 years, and has four adult children with her husband. She is also a foster parent to four bonus children, 7, 12 and two 14 year olds! She is a kokum to a 14 year old grandson and a 12 year old granddaughter.
Carol enjoys travelling, gardening, fishing and being out at their family home by the lake. She is grateful for the opportunity to work with the NOHCCN Board and looks forward to learning new things and the challenges that we will encounter together.
secretary@nohccn.ca
Lianne Linklater
Lianne Linklater is a proud mother of three and grandmother of a 11-month-old little girl. A member of the Cree Nation of Chisasibi, in her early years, Lianne lived in Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territory, and eventually moved to Ontario, where she has resided in Moosonee for almost 40 years now.
Lianne started her nursing career at Weeneebayko Area Health Authority Hospital in Moose Factory, along with her husband who is also a Registered Nurse. They took their nursing program together and chose to stay in his home community. For more than 25 years, Lianne has dedicated her work within the Home Care Support Services program for Ontario Health at Home, that often extends to the other five communities on the West coast of James Bay. Lianne has always loved her job, as she has seen home care clients thrive in their home environment, especially when the proper support services are accessible in their safe space. Lianne is extremely humbled to support home care clients and to assist family members while they care for their loved ones at home. Lianne is so honoured to be in the role of case management and advocacy, as her involvement allows her to witness the strength when the family pulls together to take care of one another.
Lianne brings a strong understanding of community-based health and a deep commitment to improving access to care in the North.
oak@nohccn.ca
NOHCCN STAFF
Philina Sky
Philina Sky carries the name Azoon’gide-qwe, which is translated as a Strong Hearted Woman. Philina walks with the Moose clan and is a proud Denesultine member of Cold Lake First Nations, Treaty 6, Alberta. A grandmother of 6 children and 6 beautiful grandchildren and resides in Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation with her family.
Philina was raised and lived in Northwestern Ontario most of her life and has been working in semi-remote, isolated and urban community settings within the Treaty 3 and Nishnawbe Aski Nation regions for the past 25 years. She is known for indigenizing care that specializes in Foot Care, Diabetes and Home Care Nursing. As she continues to promote and empower the Indigenous voice in all the work that she does, Philina walks in both worlds to ensure the two-eyed seeing approach is at the forefront of Indigenous health care. Philina is one of the founding Board Directors of the NOHCCN Board, since its inception in July 2018, and accepted the responsibility as the NOHCCN Operations Manager in 2023 to move this important work forward and is now honoured to carry out the role of Executive Director.
“Minowaywin Mishkikii Qwe” described as, ‘a nurse helper that treats you well’, inspired by the work of her mother and mother-in-law, who have journeyed on to the spirit world. During the warmer months, Philina loves to care and harvest traditional medicines, or out in the yard caring for her garden and if she isn’t home, she is out traveling to visit medicine and family relations
ed@nohccn.ca
NOHCCN STAFF
Vacant
NOTE: This email is monitored on a regular basis.
admin@nohccn.ca
Past Board of Directors
The NOHCCN wishes to share their appreciation to all past Board of Directors. These individuals have dedicated their time and commitment, and were instrumental towards development and growth of the Network to date.
Chi-Meegwetch
Louise Chisel
Bernice Southwind
Philina Sky
Julia Jardine
Patty Everson
Karyn Meekis
Stacey Fiddler
2018 – 2019
2019 – 2020
2018 – 2023
2019 – 2024
2018 – 2024
2020 – 2025
2020 – 2025
Contact Us At:
Philina Sky, Executive Director
Mailing Address:
PO Box 1111
Migisi Sahgaigan, ON
P0V 3H0
Cell: 807 464 2205
Email: ED@nohccn.ca