Six Dominican women were honored with the Exceptional Women Award for their contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic.The awardees wer:

1. Dr.Taura Breedy who volunteered to be the senior doctor at the Isolation unit in Portsmouth when no one else wanted the job. She has also provided care for persons in quarantine whether on land or sea. She is a caring, committed and competent professional who has not had any vacation since she took up her new responsibilities in the COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Dr. Gilda Nesty Tonge who served as Director of Primary Healthcare. She was hailed for being accessible and professional at all times during the pandemic and for genuinely caring about her clients.

3. Nurse Theresa Victor Andrew serves as District Nurse Midwife in the Portsmouth Health District. Nurse Andrew volunteered to supervise the new quarantine unit set up at Portsmouth at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurse Andrew accepted the challenge of this new role and fit right into it and because of her kind and accommodating personality she was able to make travelers comfortable as well as re assure her staff throughout. She remained committed and dedicated to the task.

4. Nurse Cathlyn Newton is a staff nurse at the National Hospital with a specialty in Intensive Care. She willingly accepted the role of Ward Sister at the isolation Unit set up at the hospital. There she provided special care and is called upon to do so from time to time when the need arises. She is confident and caring in the delivery of her duties.

5. Nurse Rosemund Nicholas serves as Staff Nurse and Midwife in the Grand bay Health District but readily accepted to serve as Ward Sister at the Isolation Unit in Portsmouth. Her professionalism ensured the safety of all caregivers as well as the clients. She also served at the Quarantine Unit as Supervisor with meticulous precision.

6. Inspector Valda Powell serves as Assistant Superintendent of Immigration(Ag). During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as Head of Immigration providing oversight of all travel in and out of Dominica to ensure the safety of Dominicans. Inspector Powell is always willing to go beyond the call of duty and empowers team members to be their best.

This year the awardees were chosen for having persevered in the frontline in the fight against the dreaded Coronavirus. Among the criteria used were 1. Exemplary leadership, going beyond the call of duty; 2. Demonstration of passion and care, high standard of integrity and good working relationships with all stakeholders.

The Exceptional Woman Award was formalized in 2015 and ‘recognizes the inspirational women of tomorrow from diverse sectors and aim to challenge them to address the gender imbalance by showcasing the achievements of women and identifying new role models’. Twenty(20) women have received the award from since its inception.