By: Kari Janzen, Staff Reporter, Caribou Publishing
The Rural Health Professions Action Plan’s (RhPAP) nominations for the Rhapsody 2026 awards has opened earlier this year, and has also been made simpler to submit.
“The 2026 Rhapsody Awards honour exceptional healthcare professionals and teams who are making a difference in rural Alberta. This year the nomination period opens earlier than ever, giving communities more time to celebrate their local healthcare champions. The process has also been simplified: only one letter of support is required,” RhPAP’s Sept. 8 new release said.
Usually open from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 each year, the nomination period for the two categories of Rhapsody awards, which are the rural physician award and the healthcare heroes award, opened in September.
The Rhapsody Rural Physician Award is described as “celebrating rural physicians who go above and beyond through outstanding medical care and meaningful community involvement. The Rhapsody Healthcare Heroes Award honours individuals or teams (including nurses, allied health professionals, and others) who show exceptional commitment to rural health and wellness,” RhPAP’s website says.
The rural physician award has been awarded annually since 2002, and the healthcare heroes award was established in 2018. Locally, one of the 2025 physician award nominees included Dr. Hermanus Potgieter of Viking.
Nominations are open until Friday, Feb. 27 online at RhPAP.ca/Rhapsody and the recipients will be announced in April 2026. Evaluation forms are available to reference online in order to build a strong nomination.
Recipients are selected by an awards committee representing Alberta’s rural North, Central, and South zones. Tofield, Viking, Daysland, and Killam Health Centres are in the Central zone.
Tofield CARC Chair Cyndy Heslin says, “RhPAP is our biggest supporter and has been alongside the Tofield Community Attraction Retention Committee every step of the way.
“We wish all the nominees the best of luck in their endeavours to help Rural Health be the best it can be in Alberta!”
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