By Tara de Ryk
March 1, 2010

Jason Schmiedge is among 13 finalists for the 2010 Saskatchewan Healthcare Excellence Awards (SHEA).

Winners of the awards, which promote excellence and recognize the work of people in the health care field, will be announced at a gala event March 13 in Regina.

The SHEAs  provide the opportunity to highlight and celebrate innovation and excellence in the provision of frontline health and social care across Saskatchewan.

Nominees for a SHEA may be individuals, teams, departments or organizations. They may be volunteers or professionals. To be awarded a SHEA, their story of how they help people, touch hearts or pioneer advancing health-care procedures must capture the imagination of the judges.

Jason, the son of Gary and Lana Schmiedge of Davidson, is a registered audiologist. He practices at Expert Hearing in Saskatoon as well as in Davidson on a monthly basis. He was nominated for excellence in the area of client centred/client satisfaction.

Finalists in this category are recognized for the level of service and care they give their clients. The SHEA selection committee is looking for an award recipient who fully understands, meets and strives to exceed the needs of client. The individual exceeds normal expectations and has gone above and beyond the call of duty in addressing the needs of the client by working with the client and truly involving the voice of the client in their care.

The awards will be held at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina.

All proceeds from the event go to support the programs and services of AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is facing a crisis with HIV infections. The number of new infections increased more than 40 per cent over the past year. Women are two to four times more vulnerable to HIV infection, youth has one of the fastest rising infection rates and aboriginal people are five times more likely to have AIDS than any other Canadian.

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