Emergency Department nurse honoured with Kelly Currie Nursing Excellence Award
(Sara Williams, a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at West Haldimand General Hospital, received the 2026 Kelly Currie Nursing Excellence Award during National Nursing Week. The award recognizes nurses who demonstrate compassion, leadership, teamwork, and excellence in patient care.)
Most people do not remember every detail of an Emergency Department visit.
But they often remember the nurse who sat beside them, explained what was happening, or helped them through one of the hardest days of their lives.
That kind of care is what the Kelly Currie Nursing Excellence Award was created to recognize.
This year, the award went to Sara Williams, a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at West Haldimand General Hospital (WHGH). The award is one of the hospital’s highest nursing honours and is presented each year during Nursing Week. It recognizes nurses who reflect the compassion, leadership, and dedication of Kelly Currie, a longtime WHGH nurse whose impact is still felt throughout the hospital today.
Chosen by her peers
For Sara, the recognition carries special meaning because it came from the people she works beside every day.
“Receiving this award is very humbling and meaningful,” she said. “I have been a registered nurse for 26 years and it is nice to be recognized and see that the work I am doing has made a difference.”
Williams has been part of the WHGH team for nine years. Before coming to Haldimand County, she worked as a nurse in Alberta, Australia, and England.
She said being nominated by colleagues made the award even more meaningful.
“Because this award is peer nominated, it means the world to me,” she said. “The recognition and respect from colleagues I trust and admire is very meaningful. I work with an amazing team and they are what makes this job possible.”
She added that receiving an award named after Kelly Currie is something she does not take lightly.
“Sara’s recognition reflects the compassion, teamwork, and dedication that nurses bring to our patients every day,” said Amanda Sonnenberg, Vice-President Clinical and Chief Nursing Officer. “I also want to congratulate all of this year’s nominees. Being nominated by your peers is a meaningful honour and speaks to the respect they have earned from their colleagues and the difference they make for patients and families.”
Helping people through difficult days
Emergency Department nurses often meet people during moments of fear, uncertainty, and pain.
Sara said that is what continues to motivate her after more than two decades in nursing.
“Working in the Emergency Department means we often see people at their worst,” she said. “If I can be there to care for and support them during this time, hopefully it will make their situation a little less painful and stressful.”
A team effort
Sara was quick to point out that nursing is never a one-person job.
She credits her coworkers for creating the kind of environment where nurses can support one another and provide consistent care for patients.
“Teamwork is very important in the Emergency Department,” she said. “The team I work with is smart, caring, and compassionate. They motivate me.”
That teamwork becomes especially important in a small community hospital where staff often know one another well and work closely together.
“Working at WHGH means being part of a close-knit team,” Sara said. “Working at a small hospital with limited resources means we work closely together and rely on each other. This creates strong bonds and a sense of belonging.”
Remembering Kelly Currie
The award honours the memory of Kelly Currie, a respected WHGH nurse and leader who dedicated 31 years to the profession.
Currie passed away in 2020, but her influence remains visible throughout the hospital. She was known for her compassion, her advocacy for patients, and her work improving end-of-life care for families facing difficult circumstances.
The hospital’s palliative care suite, known as the Snowy Owl Room, was named in her honour as a lasting tribute to her work.
Each year, nurses are nominated by their peers for demonstrating the same values that defined Currie’s career.
This year’s nominees included Margaret Choromanski, Emily Cruikshank, Moe Houwer, Eric Bridges, Shelley Tryon, and Sara Williams.
(Nurses nominated for the 2026 Kelly Currie Nursing Excellence Award gather at West Haldimand General Hospital during National Nursing Week. From left are Shelley Tryon, Sara Williams, Margaret Choromanski, Amanda Sonnenberg, Vice-President Clinical and Chief Nursing Officer, and Emily Cruikshank. Missing from the photo are Eric Bridges and Moe Houwer)
Looking ahead
For Williams, the award is less about individual recognition and more about the people she works with and the patients they serve.
After 26 years in nursing, she still finds purpose in helping people through difficult moments and making a stressful day a little easier.
In many ways, that is the legacy the award was created to celebrate.
The kind of care that patients may never forget, even after they leave the hospital.
