More Vincentian Nurses honoured in NY

08.June.07

Registered Nurses Clari Gilbert and Judith Lewis were honoured recently, joining the ranks of what appears to be a growing list of nurses to receive special honours in New York in recent times.{{more}}

Last month, registered nurse Phyllis Dublin, who hails from Belmont, was honoured by the Brooklyn-based Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation (CNR).

Gilbert, originally from South Rivers, and Lewis, a Bequia native, were honoured by the New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) and the Brooklyn chapter of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc., the national nursing sorority in the United States, respectively.

Gilbert, senior vice president of operations at Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, Bronx, NY, received NYAHSA’s “Professional of the Year” award.

The statewide competition honours “a person who has made significant contributions to the well being of the elderly or chronically ill in the community in which he or she works,” said NYAHSA, which is headquartered in Albany, New York’s capital.

“For more than 25 years, Clari Gilbert has been an exceptional role model,” said Michael S. Fassler, president and chief executive officer of Beth Abraham Family of Health Services.

“Through hard work and dedication, she has improved the lives of thousands of patients and staff,” he added.

Gilbert told Searchlight she was “proud” to receive such high honour.

“I felt very proud because there are not too many blacks in health care leaderships, even to be recognized,” she said.

“The staff has supported me throughout, and I felt it was something truly on its behalf,” she added.

As part of a number of activities commemorating Nurses’ Week, Omega Chi, the Brooklyn chapter of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc., honored Lewis, with the “Leadership Award” for her service to the community.

The citation said that Lewis, the chapter’s president, has “taken Omega Chi to a higher level,” since assuming that role.

“Her leadership skills are remarkable,” the sorority said. “She has increased this chapter’s visibility and involvement at the national level significantly, constantly seeks to teach, and is skillful at getting each member involved in all of the workings of the organization”.

Omega Chi said Lewis, a Public Health Nurse and Adjunct Professor in Nursing at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College, is also involved in various volunteer projects, such as assisting in packing medical supplies and medication to be shipped overseas, and partnering with other health care organizations.

Lewis – who is also a member of the Brooklyn-based St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Nurses Association, New York Chapter, and Bequia United Progressive Organization – told Searchlight she was “very humbled” to receive the award.(NK)