At an awards ceremony at the Royale Caribbean Resort last Saturday evening, nurses who had rendered longstanding service, and had shown exceptional dedication to their vocation, were honoured with special tokens of recognition. Eight nurses were inducted into the Nurses Hall of Fame, and a Nurse of the Year as well as the Most Popular Nurse were selected.
The Chairperson was Radio Anguilla’s Director, Miss Farah Banks, and the ceremony was opened with prayer by Nurse Magdalina Jean-Louis.
The awards were presented to the nurses in three categories: first, eight senior nurses were recognised for their distinguished service in the field of health – over the years. These were inducted in the Nurses Hall of Fame. Then, out of another four nominees, one practicing nurse was selected as Nurse of the Year and another as Most Popular Nurse.
Opening remarks were given by Director of Nursing Services, Mrs. Alicia Haywood, who stated in part: “I am delighted to welcome you this evening to the second awards ceremony for the Nurse of the Year and the nurses’ induction into the Nursing Hall of Fame. There are eight nurses to be inducted into the Nurses Hall of Fame, and there are four outstanding practicing nurses who have been selected as nominees, vying for the titles Nurse of the Year 2021 and Most Popular 2021 (or the Public’s Favourite Nurse).
“Certainly the worthiness of the recipients of these prestigious awards, that are being bestowed on our nursing colleagues, cannot be questioned. They are being recognised for their exemplary efforts in developing nursing and for their overall contribution to health services in Anguilla.”
Then, turning her attention directly to the nurses, she commended them for their service: “Nurses, tonight I say to you that your contributions to healthcare delivery deserve to be celebrated. Do not lose sight of how important your role is in healthcare. The voices of nurses in healthcare delivery remain important to the success of healthcare systems and must continue to be heard.”
Also speaking at the ceremony was the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Ellis L. Webster. He spoke of the risks that nurses are susceptible to especially in these times when they must fight against communicable diseases. He told of his nursing friends and acquaintances whom he had lost to the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic recently. Then, he too commended the nurses for the work they do:
“Nurses are the first line of defense,” he said. “They are exposed to threatening situations, sometimes less than ideal conditions, and are usually not paid what they deserve. A nurse’s voice is often the last voice a patient hears or the last human touch the patient feels. Nurses are advocates for patients and they respect human dignity. A nurse is there to help people when they are at their weakest moments, regardless of what that nurse is going through in her/his own life experiences.”
“Nursing is a profession that is already suffering from shortages,” he observed, “and it is now burdened by further shortages from burnout, illness and death. So we are called to treasure our nurses and treat them as an endangered species…”
The Minister continued: “Tonight, we are gathered here to show appreciation and honour to our nurses, past and present, and to award the Nurse of the Year. I say congratulations to all the nominees. You are all winners. And to those nurses who are being inducted into the Nurses Hall of Fame, I do say congratulations. Thank you for all that you have done.”
The eight senior nurses honoured as inductees in the Nurses Hall of Fame were: Nurse Civilla Kentish, Health Promotion and Prevention; Nurse Rose Brooks, Pioneer in Health Education; Nurse Susan Harrigan, a member of Nursing Administration; Nurse Monique Rey, Mental Health Nurse; Nurse Bernice Lewis, Community Nurse; Nurse Vida Lloyd, Community Nurse and Nursing Leader; Nurse Allcear Brookes, Community Nurse and Volunteer; and Nurse Joan Carty, Secondary Care Nurse.
Nurse of the Year and Most Popular Nurse nominees were: Nurse Nellisa Cain, Nurse Nashon Edwards, Nurse Christine Dupuis-Reid and Nurse Rodney Neckles. Nurse Christine Dupuis-Reid emerged as Nurse of the Year 2021 and Nurse Nashon Edwards turned out as Most Popular Nurse 2021.
Each nurse inducted in the Nurses Hall of Fame received a challenge coin that bears the National Hall of Fame insignia, the nurse’s name, and the year of induction.
The prizes for Nurse of the Year consisted of the following: an attractive plaque, a US$100 gas voucher, a cash prize, a FLOW gift bag, a gift basket, five extra days of vacation, a one-night stay for two at Tranquility Beach Hotel and an EC$5,000 scholarship to attend the Caribbean Nurses Organisation conference in Jamaica in October of this year.
The prizes for the Most Popular Nurse comprised an attractive plaque and one year free internet from DIGICEL.
The Anguilla Nurses Association wishes to thank all its sponsors which include the Ministry of Health, Health Authority of Anguilla, K-Sharp, FLOW, Horizon, DIGICEL and Delta Petroleum.
