Gerald
Pronyk,
graduated
from
Selkirk
Mental
Health
Centre
(SMHC)
in
1964.
He
went
on
to
obtain
his
nursing
degree
from
the
University
of
Saskatchewan.
In
1968,
Gerald
returned
to
SMHC
where
he
worked
as
the
Education
Director
of
the
School
of
Psychiatric
Nursing
until
1972,
and
as
the
Senior
Nursing Administrative Officer from 1972 until 1991.
Gerald
was
a
major
proponent
for
professionalizing
psychiatric
nursing
education.
He
worked
to
transform
a
three
year
service
orientated
psychiatric
nursing
program
into
a
rigorous
two
year
degree
program
with
the
University
of
Winnipeg.
Further
consolidation
of
three
diploma
programs
in
the
late
80’s
and
early
90’s
led
to
the
Baccalaureate
Program
in
Psychiatric
Nursing at Brandon University.
Gerald
also
played
an
active
role
in
enhancing
facility-based
standards
for
mental
health
care
across
Canada
through
twenty
five
years
of
participation
in
the
Canadian
Council
on
Health
Services
Accreditation.
This
involved
pioneering
work
in
developing
minimum
standards
and
key
competencies
for
care
facilities
in
mental
health,
long
term
care,
acute
care,
ambulatory
care,
community
mental
health,
forensic
services,
prisons,
addictions
and
other
special
care facilities.
Between
1991
and
2005
he
worked
to
strengthen
provincial
mental
health
services
with
the
Manitoba
Health
Department.
Major
areas
of
focus
included
the
provision
of
high
quality
mental
health
services
as
close
to
a
person’s
residence
as
possible;
the
construction
and
implementation
of
acute
care
mental
health
facilities
and
programs
in
each
of
Brandon,
Dauphin,
The
Pas,
Portage
La
Prairie
and
Thompson;
implementing
new
Forensic
Services
at
SMHC,
and;
in
partnership
with
Justice,
Family
Services,
Correction
Service
Canada
and
Canadian
Mental
Health
Association,
developing
case
management
programs
for
high
risk
individuals in the community.
Gerald
is
currently
retired
in
Winnipeg,
and
remains
active
on
the
Boards
of
St
Joseph’s
Residence,
Rossbrook
House,
the
Catholic
Foundation
of
Manitoba,
and
the
Knights
of
Columbus.
He
and
his
wife
Lydia
have
also
become
fervent
travellers with recent trips to Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and South America.