A new, upcoming and young cadre of highly-qualified nurses have been given much encouragement and recognition for the professional services they are rendering to the Ministry of Health, the Health Authority of Anguilla and the people of the island.
It is a story of dedication and accomplishment worth chronicling and is dated Saturday, March 27, 2021. The event in question was the Nurse of the Year Recognition Ceremony 2020, held at the locally-owned Modena Villa which provides a stunning view of the Maundays Bay area.
Six Nurses, working during the current COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in the general health services of Anguilla, were nominated for the Nurse of the Year Award 2020. The nominees were: Chandra Watts, BSN, RN, whose desire is to advance her professional development by pursuing studies to specialise in Oncology Nursing and/or Nurse Anaesthesia; Dorpha Seabrooks, BSN, RN; Zamender Smith-Lake, BSN, RN, RNM, PHN; Nellisa Cain, BSN, RN; Sherlina Heredia-Ross, BSN, RN; and Jiva Niles, BSN, RN. The winner of the Nurse of the Year Award 2020 was Sherlina Heredia-Ross who not only expressed elation to have been selected for the award, but said that all of her five colleagues were winners as well as a result of their dedicated nursing services.
Nurse of the Year, Sherlina Heredia-Ross
Premier and Minister of Health and Finance, Dr. Ellis Lorenzo Webster, told the Nurses: “We have had one of those types of years that we hope will never get repeated. Certainly, the health services have done a great job to keep us safe; and I want to say to all six nominees, congratulations. You already won when you walked across the stage to get your nursing degrees because you became part of the noble profession, providing care for those in need…
“You have certainly done a great job when COVID-19 decimated so many countries and healthcare systems…You have been on the frontline and have been soldiers – carrying on the cause with the help of the Ministry of Health and the support staff of the Health Authority of Anguilla.”
Mrs. Alicia Haywood, Director of Nursing Services in Anguilla, and Region 2 Director for the Caribbean Nurses’ Association, said in part: “The selection of the six nominees by their colleagues and the general public is noteworthy. The year 2020 was declared the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife by the United Nations and the International Council of Nurses. It was a very special, yet unusual year for nurses and all other healthcare professionals. The dreadful coronavirus surfaced and resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic – a pandemic of epic proportion.
“Most of the plans to celebrate nurses in 2020 were therefore cancelled as we prepared to battle this pandemic. The work of nurses took centre stage locally as the pandemic created an environment that tested, and continues to test, the resilience of nurses and showcase their level of professional discipline – their loyalty and overall love for the profession and humanity.”
The Director of Nursing commended the nurses of Anguilla for going beyond the call of duty and drawing energy from within themselves. “At times you were being stressed thin; juggling management and clinical duties; working tirelessly to meet the needs of clients – sometimes at the risk of your own wellbeing; covering additional shifts due to staff shortages – most of which were compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
She added: “This has been your reality during 2020 and it continues in 2021. However, you continue to report to duty as scheduled and remain available and accessible when called upon to provide coverage or to perform additional duties. Thank you for your loyalty and commitment.”
This was the first Nurse of the Year Recognition Award Ceremony in Anguilla under the current programme. According to the information brochure, the award is “an annual bestowment that recognises practicing nurses who have rendered distinguished service or valuable assistance to the profession; and whose contributions are deemed to be of national or international significance.”
