Honouring Shannan Hickey Through Compassion, Commitment, and Community
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the tragic loss of our colleague, Shannan Hickey, we are reminded that intimate partner violence can touch any community—even ours.
On May 21, 2024, Shannan—a bright, compassionate, and deeply loved registered nurse at Quinte Health—was killed in an act of intimate partner violence. She was just 26 years old. A graduate of Loyalist College and Brock University, Shannan joined Quinte Health as a new nurse and quickly became a cherished member of the Quinte 6 team. Her clinical talent, warm personality, and deep compassion made a lasting impact on everyone around her.
Her loss shattered our team. It still does. But even in grief, her colleagues have found meaningful ways to honour her memory—with action, compassion, and hope.
Over the past year, teams across Quinte Health have come together to celebrate Shannan’s life. Be it a fundraising golf tournament for Three Oaks Shelter, a dedicated domestic violence training session for hospital staff, a memorial stone in the Belleville General Hospital courtyard, or a recent donation drive for the Hastings Prince Edward Humane Society—each tribute has reflected the love and admiration Shannan inspired.
“Shannan’s pets meant the world to her,” said Amy Rundle, Manager of Quinte 6. “After her death, they were cared for temporarily by the Humane Society until her family could take them home. We knew that supporting this organization in her name would be something she would have appreciated.”
Thanks to contributions from team members across Quinte Health, Quinte 6 raised $650, collected a substantial amount of Canadian Tire money, and filled a cart with pet supplies to donate in her honour.
Shannan’s passing has strengthened our resolve to support those affected by violence. In the past year, Quinte Health’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Response Program (DVSARP) supported 119 individuals. Yet we know that this is just a glimpse of the true need. Only an estimated 6% of survivors report violence—meaning that the real number of affected individuals in our region could be 10 to 15 times higher.
On May 23, Quinte Health received an additional $236,000 in base funding from the provincial government for DVSARP.
During the funding announcement, Stacey Daub, Quinte Health President and CEO, said, “This announcement is deeply meaningful to all of us at Quinte Health. Not only because it provides much-needed stability and support to an important service, but because it speaks to something larger—something urgent—and something deeply human. Every day in our hospitals, we see the impact of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. It’s not abstract—it’s personal. It’s urgent. And it’s far too common.”
The DVSARP team provides essential care—medical, forensic, and emotional—while working closely with community partners to ensure survivors receive the wraparound support they need. Increasingly, the team is seeing individuals with complex challenges, including housing instability, mental health struggles, addiction, and the growing impact of human trafficking.
Despite the barriers that prevent many survivors from seeking help—fear, stigma, lack of trust in the justice system—we remain committed to listening, believing, and supporting. The road forward is not easy, but it is one we walk together.
Shannan’s memory lives on in the compassion of her colleagues, in the work of the DVSARP team, and in the strength of every survivor who seeks care. Through continued awareness, advocacy, and action, we are building a safer, more supportive community—one where no one has to suffer in silence.
#Compassion
#ValueEveryone
