Recipient of the 2014

LORI ST. LOUIS, CASE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Nominated For: 2014

Lori-Ann St. Louis is honoured and grateful to be nominated for the PIA www.pialaw.ca/ Case Manager Award of Excellence in Brain Injury Rehabilitation through the Ontario Brain Injury Association http://obia.ca.

Lori-Ann currently works with Abilities Rehabilitation Services AbilitiesRehab.ca as the Director of Social Work. In this capacity, she oversees the provision of all case management services. She has worked in the field of brain injury for over 15 years. She graduated with her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Laurentian University in 2015 completing a two-year degree in one year while maintaining her case management duties. Lori-Ann is a Member in Good Standing with the College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers as well as a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers www.oasw.org/.

Lori-Ann began working in the disability sector in high school as a Special Needs Worker and progressed to working as an Instructor/ Counsellor in the developmental service sector. With over 30 years in the disability sector, Lori-Ann is well known for her strong advocacy skills, strong work ethic, client-centered approach and her unwavering passion for the work that she does. Lori-Ann recognizes the importance of ensuring future Case Managers have a strong foundation to supporting individuals with complex injuries. As such, she is a frequent guest Instructor at Georgian College and Laurentian University and presented on case management assessments, and client centered treatment.

In addition to clinically supervising the team of case managers at Abilities who support clients across the Province of Ontario, Lori-Ann continues to personally work with clients in regionally and underserviced areas across Northern Ontario. Recognizing the challenges in Northern Ontario, Lori-Ann continues to work towards building regional hubs of specialized acquired brain injury professionals in underserviced areas such as Sault Sainte Marie, Sudbury and North Bay to ensure high quality services and treatment to maximize client outcomes and recovery. Within her case management functions, Lori-Ann supports and collaborates with multi-disciplinary teams to maximize treatment outcomes for individuals and families who had suffered traumatic brain injuries. Lori-Ann works with the client to support their goals of returning to productive and meaningful activities.

Lori-Ann has volunteered with many rehabilitation agencies over the years. She is the former Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Sudbury Brain Injury Association, www.biasd.ca and was also an Executive Board member for ICAN Independence Centre and Network www.ican-cerd.com/, which supports individuals with disabilities across Northern Ontario. Lori-Ann continues to attend various education conferences and seminars relating to acquired brain injuries. Lori-Ann recently published research relating to Motivational Interviewing for treatment of individuals who are substance-involved, which has enhanced positive treatment outcomes for the clients that she supports.

Lori-Ann is very proud of her long-standing achievements in supporting the Brain Injury Association of Sudbury and District. In 2004, Lori-Ann initiated the first BIASD Golf Fundraiser, which continues to occur annually over 10 years later. Despite relocating to the Barrie area 3 years ago, Lori-Ann continues her commitment to the Acquired Brain Injury community in Northern Ontario but has recently supported events across the province. In her free time, Lori-Ann enjoys spending time with her husband Marc, son Matthew and her dog Ginger. She also enjoys travelling and reading.