Caribbean nurses honor assembly speaker
By Nelson A. King
The Bronx, Manhattan and
Westchester Chapter of the Caribbean
American Nurses’ Association,
Inc. (CANA) on Saturday,
Oct. 12 honored New York
State Assembly Carl Heastie and
Jamaican-born the Rev. Audrey
Bailey, priest-in-charge at St.
Francis and St. Martha’s Episcopal
Church in White Plains,
NY, with the Community Service
Award.
The nurses also honored
Dr. Illouise Murillo-Tucker, the
Belizean-born director of nursing
for the Behavioral Health
Department at Woodhull Medical
and Mental Health Hospital,
with the National Service
Award. Dr. Murillo-Tucker is
also CANA vice president.
The ceremony took place
during the Chapter’s 24th
Annual Vernese Weekes Scholarship
Luncheon, at Eastwood
Manor, on Eastchester Road, in
the Bronx.
“We are honored to recognize
our distinguished guests, honorees,
scholarship recipients and
our 2019 Keynote Speaker Hopina
Samuel, RN, a fellow member
of CANA,” said Vincentian-born
Registered Nurse Pamela Roberts
Griffin, president of CANA’s
Bronx, Manhattan and Westchester
Chapter since 2016, in her
welcome address.
Roberts-Griffin — who has
been working for the past 34
years as a registered nurse at
Bronx Lebanon Hospital, now
called Bronx Healthcare System
— told Caribbean Life that her
Chapter and CANA are “giving
back, because it’s a very rewarding
For the past 4 years, we have been servicing
the community with dignity and compassion.
We look forward to the future providing
the same excellent service.
F U N E R A L H O M E
We have one of the Largest Chapels in the New York City area
We provide Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services
We offer great pricing and you can depend on our professionalism
Valet Parking Available
Caribbean L 8 ife, OCTOBER 25-31, 2019 BQ
profession.”
Before receiving his award,
Heastie, the 100th Speaker of
the New York State Assembly,
asked patrons to pray for the
Bahamas “because they are still
recovering from that (devastation
caused by Hurricane Dorian)”.
Heastie said his father’s parents
were from the Bahamas.
Rev. Bailey thanked God for
“the opportunity that has been
afforded me.”
“Pray for me that we work
together knowing that no one
stands alone,” she said after
receiving her award. “No one is
an island.
“Thank God for all nurses,”
she added. “Without nurses,
we’ll all suffer, because the
doctors learn from the nurses.
Nursing is not about profession
but about service.”
Dr. Murillo-Tucker said she
was “lucky to stand on the
shoulders of others.
“No one of us got here on
their own,” she told patrons. “I
thank you all for this (award). All
praise and honor go to God.”
Heastie, who represents
the 83rd Assembly District in
northeast Bronx, has the historic
distinction of being the
first African-American to serve
as leader of the Assembly’s 150
members, representing communities
across the state of New
York.
Since his election as Speaker
on Feb. 3, 2015, he said he has
led the Assembly Democratic
Majority in efforts to “uplift
communities and promote a
Families First agenda that prioritizes
strategic investments in
the health, safety, economic and
social well-being of New York’s
families.”
Under his leadership, Heastie
said the Assembly has won a
number of landmark victories
that deliver on the Assembly
Majority’s promise to expand
opportunities for achievement
in communities around the
state.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie receives award fl anked by, (from left): Dr. Claudette Gordon,
Pamela Roberts-Griffi n, Dr. Virginia Bernard and Ingrid Baptiste. Photo by Nelson A. King
Serving the Community with Dignity
TEL: