Comox resident Helen Boyd was among the 45 nurses recognized for excellence recently at the annual College of Registered Nurses of B.C. (CRNBC) awards ceremony in Vancouver.Boyd has long advocated for the homeless population, which faces a wide range of risk factors for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and other diseases. Helen helps homeless individuals overcome barriers to medical care, such as not having a phone or fixed address.Her present focus goes back to a needs assessment study of homeless people in the Comox Valley in 2007.After helping to form a non-profit society called Dawn to Dawn and obtaining community support, she launched the Care-A-Van, a mobile platform for delivering community health care. The Care-A-Van is now under the auspices of the new Comox Bay Care Society.The Care-A-Van provides free health care services, free hygiene supplies, one-on-one health counseling, assistance with eye examinations and dental needs and all of this work is done on a volunteer basis.This front-line approach has helped to reduce the cost of providing care, since it reduces the need for emergency room visits. To date, more than 20 health care practitioners are volunteering for this innovative outreach initiative.Visit www.crnbc.ca/crnbc/Awards/excellence/recipients/Pages/HelenBoyd.aspx for more information on Helen and the work she is doing.Through the CRNBC Nursing Excellence Awards registered nurses honour colleagues for outstanding contributions to the nursing profession and for demonstrating excellence in relation to the CRNBC professional standards for registered nurses and nurse practitioners.The College of Registered Nurses of B.C. is the regulatory body for more than 39,000 registered nurses, nurse practitioners and licensed graduate nurses in British Columbia.— College of Registered Nurses of B.C.