A Halifax nurse who helped make it easier for vulnerable populations such as homeless people to access health care has died.

Patti Melanson died of cancer Saturday at her home surrounded by her husband and two daughters.

Melanson was a driving force behind Mobile Outreach Street Health (MOSH), an organization that provides health care "to people who are homeless, insecurely housed, street involved and underserved in our community," according to its website.

Dr. Rod Wilson, who worked with the outreach team, met Melanson about 20 years ago but said he feels like he's known her "forever."

"I think Patti was such a genuine, authentic person," he told CBC's Maritime Noon.

"When you met Patti, when she came into a room, she just beamed. And then when you spoke to Patti — whether you were a colleague, a patient or a friend — you felt like you were the only one who was in her moment, in her world at that time."

Wilson said Melanson taught him a lot about compassion and what it means to work with people who are vulnerable.

"She's really challenged me to meet people where they are and accept them for who they are, not who you want them to be or what you want them to do or where you want them to go — but just meet people where they are and offer compassion and respect," he said.

He said she'll be missed.

"Patti was a visionary and she also had the value and the skill to bring people together and engage them in her visions and dreams."

Order of Nova Scotia recipient

In a statement, Trish McKay, the organization's acting team lead, said Melanson always put vulnerable people first.

"She felt that people shouldn't have to fit into how we deliver care or the systems we use," McKay wrote. "Rather, it is our job as providers to figure out how to meet their needs and offer care wherever they are, however they need it."

Last month, Melanson was named to the Order of Nova Scotia. The province's biography for her noted that she was a practising nurse for more than 25 years and her career included working at Phoenix House, a shelter for youth.

"Patti has been a passionate advocate for people who often live at our community's margins," the biography noted. "Her success at reaching out to vulnerable people with compassion and respect has changed the way Nova Scotia provides care to its most vulnerable citizens."

McKay said that Melanson "agitated for change in the system, not satisfied to advocate within its constraints ... We will miss her greatly, but know she will never be far."