Name: Lia Sambrielaz
Job Title: Long-Term Care Coordinator
Length of Service: 37 years
Worksite: Cottonwoods Care Centre
Community: Kelowna
Ancestral Territory: syilx
Favourite Quote / Advice to Live By: “Never forget the difference you've made in other people’s lives.”
Lia Sambrielaz wanted to help others from a young age. From when she was 12 years old to 17, she worked at Kelowna’s Cottonwoods Care Centre (a long-term care site) as a candy striper, an old term for young health-care volunteers who could be recognized by their red-and-white-striped uniforms.
After completing her registered nurse (RN) training at Cariboo College in Kamloops (now Thompson Rivers University), she returned to Cottonwoods and worked as an RN for 23 years. She then spent time working at Kelowna General Hospital and Brookhaven Care Centre in Kelowna before returning to Cottonwoods, which she says felt like “being back at home.”
“I have enjoyed working at Interior Health for almost 37 years,” Lia says. “I’m motivated to come to work by making a meaningful difference in others' lives. Every small act of kindness done for others does not go unnoticed.”
