San Remo’s Oana McBride has been named Swansea Local Woman of the Year for 2023.

Ms Yasmin Catley MP – Member for Swansea nominated Oana for her role in improving palliative care services on the Central Coast.

For over 12 years, Oana has been a strong advocate for this cause, following her good friend Elsie’s battle with breast cancer.

Despite working as a physio and nurse at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Oana left to dedicate her time and efforts towards establishing a palliative care unit at Gosford Hospital by lobbying lawyers and other relevant stakeholders.

She also collaborated with Lions Clubs across the Central Coast to raise funding and presented a 10,000-signature petition to the NSW Minister for Health in 2019, calling for a palliative care unit to be installed at the hospital.

Oana’s consistent efforts paid off, as Elsie’s Dream Palliative Care Unit opened at Gosford Hospital in 2020.

Over the past couple of years, the unit has thrived and made a major difference to the end-of-life care of many patients.

Despite enduring her own battle with Bechet Disease, Oana continues to advocate for the creation of more palliative care services on the Central Coast, including at Wyong Hospital.

Oana will receive her award tomorrow in a ceremony at the Grand Ballroom in Sydney’s International Convention Centre, along with other local recipients from across the state.

Ms Yasmin Catley MP – Member for Swansea said “Oana is an asset to the community and a very deserving recipient of the Swansea Local Woman of the Year award”.

“For years she has fought hard for better palliative care services for locals, and she achieved just that with the opening of Elsie’s Dream”.

“Oana is an outstanding woman who has made a difference in the lives of many across our region. I thank her for all of her hard work and advocacy”.