2019 Recipient of the CDECB’s Outstanding Award of Excellence and Dedication – Juliet Opoku
Juliet Opoku, RN, CDE ® , is the 2019 recipient of the Canadian Diabetes Educator Certification Board’s Award of Excellence and Dedication.
As a Registered Nurse within the Diabetes Education Program at Unison Health & Community Services, Toronto, Ontario, Juliet provides education to a high volume of complex clients in groups and individual interactions. Juliet “tailors education to client’s needs and ensures all clients leave her office feeling respected and valued”, states a nominator. Juliet is “committed to improving client care and works continuously to ensure client’s needs are met”, reports a second nominator.
Juliet reaches beyond to assist her clients. Many of her clients face barriers such as language, citizenship, housing, accessibility to food and poverty. She dedicates time to liaise with pharmaceutical representatives to ensure there are supplies for clients in need. She commits some of her spare time to connecting clients in need with social workers and housing services. She telephones clients frequently following up to ascertain their needs are met. She empowers clients to improve their health through health promotion, disease prevention and health education. She is true advocate for people living with diabetes.
Juliet is an enthusiastic provider of educational services and is quick to offer workshops in the community, most recently at a food bank and a Spanish speaking seniors group. She recognizes the need to meet the clients where they are, in their own environment, thereby removing barriers related to accessibility, poverty and isolation.
Juliet holds a Bachelor of Nursing degree from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and has continued her formal education with licensing from the Ontario College of Nurses, the California Nursing Association and the Minnesota Nursing Association. Juliet is committed to further education both as a teacher and a student. She plays a key role in training new staff. She developed the insulin titration training process at Unison enabling increased DEP team members to provide comprehensive care to their clients.
One could describe Juliet’s spare time as “being occupied” by caring for people. Juliet honestly lives the values of her employer, Unison Health and Community Services. She works to celebrate diversity and eliminate oppression in all its forms. She is committed to treating all people with dignity, honesty and respect, and she values individual choice and self-determination.
