QEII Halifax Infirmary Emergency Department is working with reduced space, which may lead to delays for those with less urgent concerns. Learn more here.
Starting Saturday, December 14, the entrance to the QEII Halifax Infirmary Emergency Department will change to 1840 Bell Road. Learn more.
With The Heart of Health series, we’re shining a light on the many dedicated employees, physicians, learners and volunteers who make Nova Scotia Health such a remarkable place to work and receive care. Today we’re featuring Simone Comeau Geddry, recently retired Community Health Board volunteer.
When Simone Comeau Geddry was 12, she lost a childhood friend to leukemia. “She was in pain, and I remember thinking, ‘How can I help?’” At 16, Simone was in a hospital room alone with her grandmother when “she passed right before my eyes.” These experiences made Simone wonder if “I could help people suffer less.”
At age 17, Simone Comeau Geddry left the village of Clare, Nova Scotia, to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at what was then Mount Saint Vincent College in Halifax. In the 65 years since, she’s married, raised two daughters, taught nursing, practiced nursing in several provinces, been a nurse leader, and – most recently – volunteered with the Chebucto West Community Health Board. She hung up her hat from that role in November and is now, at age 82, is “really retired.”
Simone started nursing before Medicare was introduced in Canada. She says patients in hospital were far less ill than they are today, there was a huge focus on maternity care in the hospital where she trained, and hospitals didn’t have intensive care units. “Patients who were very ill had private duty nurses around the clock.”
Simone had a rich and full career in healthcare, working first as a teacher in nursing diploma programs, then working as clinician in mental health, medical/surgical, orthopedics and long-term care. At the age of 40, Simone returned to school for a certificate in community health, then completed her Master of Science in Nursing at the Université de Montréal. This opened up leadership opportunities for Simone, and she took on progressively responsible positions from charge nurse to supervisor to director of Patient Care Services at then-New Brunswick Extra-Mural Hospital, which included six multidisciplinary teams.
Fifteen years ago, she worked for Université de Sainte Anne, starting the groundwork for their LPN program.
She then retired and says the hardest part of retiring was giving up her nursing license, which had become part of her identity.
Simone took on numerous volunteer roles after retirement, supporting health at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. As a volunteer, she was involved in establishing the Clare Health Centre, which opened in 2008 and is operated by the Municipality of Clare.
She describes her most recent volunteer role with the Chebucto West Community Health Board as “a different type of volunteer work with many rewards.”
Simone was involved with the Community Health Board’s community health planning process, which operates on a five-year cycle. She sat on a committee to assess community needs. The group looked at data from Statistics Canada, Public Health and Engage Nova Scotia, as well as community input, to help inform the provincial and Central Zone community health plans for 2025-2029. These plans will launch in January.
“What I’ve enjoyed most is learning about my community,” said Simone.
As part of the community health plan engagement process, Simone held sessions with Reseau Santé to gather input from Acadian and Francophone Nova Scotians. “They provided good feedback to inform planning.”
She also appreciated connecting with community organizations who’d been recipients of Community Health Board wellness funds. “A lot of work of community health boards is process driven, so it was rewarding to see what incredible work organizations who received community wellness funds were doing.”
Simone traces her commitment to volunteerism back to her father. “My dad was involved in our small community as a volunteer. Dad said community gives you a lot of things. You should give back.”
As Simone looks back on her career in healthcare and her volunteer work, she notes, “You hope you’re making a difference as a volunteer and a healthcare worker.”
Thank you for the difference you’ve made, Simone. All the best in your retirement.
We want to learn and share your stories. What keeps you going, despite challenges? What does working in health and healthcare mean to you, both personally and professionally? Who is that colleague or teammate that makes going to work easier when things feel hard?
Whether you’ve had a defining moment that reaffirmed your purpose or want to recognize a colleague who embodies the heart of health, share your story with us. Let’s celebrate each other! E-mail: heartofhealth@nshealth.ca
Photo of Simone Comeau Geddry.