Nicole LeMire - Executive Director of REACH

On May 9th 2023, Nicole LeMire was one of 78 B.C. women honoured at the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony in Vancouver in recognition of her contribution to REACH and, more broadly, for her leadership in B.C.’s health sector. Among the achievements highlighted was her work in developing team-based, interdisciplinary care, and the confidence and support she has earned from a staff of over 190 people, the REACH Board of Directors and from our diverse community as a whole. The honour recognized her work during COVID, which hit our community particularly hard. During the pandemic, as the number of patients without access to primary care rose across the province, Nicole significantly increased access to REACH services. In 2020, she opened the REACH Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC), the first UPCC in the province to be located in a community health centre. This enabled over 15,000 additional people to be seen annually by a team of healthcare providers including doctors, a clinical pharmacist, nurse practitioners, and social workers.

In 2022, Nicole created a unique Health Equity and Community Engagement Department (HEED) to address social determinants of health with a strong focus on seniors, Indigenous peoples and people struggling with substance use, mental health disorders, poverty, and racism. She established an Indigenous advisory team, including an in-house Elder, to identify appropriate health services for Indigenous community members. All of these programs contributed to an overall increase of 30% in the number of Indigenous patients attached to the REACH Medical clinic. Nicole also obtained cultural safety training for both staff and Board members to better support, work with and serve Indigenous community members who represent 7% of REACH’s client base.

Since joining REACH as Executive Director in 2018, Nicole has emerged as one of B.C.’s most knowledgeable and skilled leaders in primary healthcare. These achievements, and the positive impact they have had on our organisation, patients and clients, and on our community, were among the reasons that the YWCA chose to honour this remarkable woman in 2023. It is a well-deserved recognition and one extended to her by the REACH Board of Directors as well.

Respectfully submitted, Colleen Fuller - Board of Director/Former Board President (2019-2022)