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Our story, our service
For more than five decades the Guyanese Nurses Association of America has united nurses of Guyanese heritage in a shared work of care, scholarship, and community.
Ten nurses in Brooklyn, and five who showed up.
Between 1940 and 1970 a shortage of nurses in the United States drew many Guyanese nurses across the ocean in search of education, skills, and opportunity. They adjusted readily to the profession — but city life far from family was harder, and they longed for a way to stay connected.
In April 1970, the loss of a colleague in a car accident revealed that Guyanese nurses in New York had no organized way to stand together. The next month, ten nurses gathered at the Brooklyn home of Ms. Esme LaRose to change that. They collected seven dollars for stamps, mailed three hundred invitations, and received only five replies — but pressed on undaunted.
On June 5, 1970, officers were elected, with Ms. LaRose as first President, and a twenty-dollar-a-member Dashiki Basement Party raised the seed money that launched the association’s first Annual Dinner Dance.
Unity.
Cooperation.
Patriotism.
We the nurses of Guyanese descent are confident that we can contribute to the professional, educational, and social advancement of nurses in the United States of America and in Guyana.
We will continue to foster excellence in nursing, provide dynamic leadership, and facilitate the integration and coordinated development of high standards of professional service. We will provide charitable services, using ethical, social, and economic influence.
So that the organization functions efficiently and effectively, we have established by-laws that are necessary for our governance.
Dear colleagues and friends,
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the president of the Guyanese Nurses Association of America, Inc. and as an ambassador for the Guyanese diaspora here in the United States and in Guyana. As president my goal always is to strive for the highest standards and consistently inspire excellence.
I am proud of the team of executives, and together we will live up to the ideals of this organization. The values we share will not only define our approach to our commitments but also drive our efforts in mentoring the next generation of members and advocating for positive change. During this presidency my goal is to expand our organization and welcome all nurses of Guyanese heritage, and to increase our scholarship funding through fundraising and donations.
I am confident that with the support and encouragement of the executives and all members, my presidency will be a success. I would like to use this platform to engage our nurse leaders around the association’s vision: to promote community involvement through education and volunteerism, and to strengthen our activism in the United States, Guyana, and the Caribbean at large.
Milestones across the decades.
A continuous thread of service — to hospitals and schools of nursing in Guyana, to students in the United States, and to communities in need across the Caribbean.
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1973
Electrical appliances donated to the Florence Nightingale Home for retired nurses in Guyana; training equipment given to the education department of the Public Hospital, Georgetown.
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1974–1977
Support for a school for physically disabled children in Linden; a complete orthopedic bed unit for Georgetown Hospital; a healthcare seminar in Guyana led by ten of our nurses.
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1978–1980
Medical and nursing literature donated to the Georgetown Hospital library; surgical equipment, thermometers, and isolettes to Guyanese hospitals; toys for the pediatric ward.
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1981–1992
The Idele Anderson Scholarship Incentive Award Program launched. Contributions made to Sickle-Cell Anemia, Muscular Dystrophy, March of Dimes, and the United Negro College Fund, among others.
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1993–2000
Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets distributed in the community; scholarships awarded from high school through graduate school; awards given to nursing schools in Guyana.
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2001–2005
Multiple health fairs held; the Dr. Randolph Sampson Scholarship distributed across Guyana; textbooks and computers donated to the BSc Nursing program at the University of Guyana; flood-relief barrels shipped with OMAT.
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2006–2015
Health fairs hosted with hospitals and partner organizations; more than $80,000 awarded in scholarships across this period; members represented Guyana at Caribbean nursing conferences.
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2016–2018
A mentoring program launched for students from middle school through undergraduate study; biennial scholarships awarded to nursing students in Guyana; members presented at transcultural nursing symposia.
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2020–2022
25,000 masks sent for distribution to hospitals in Georgetown and other regions during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
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2024
GNAA Inc. attended the CNO conference in Guyana and donated supplies such as conference bags, books, and pens.
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2025
The association marked its 55th anniversary — more than half a century of unity, cooperation, and patriotism in service to the community.
More ways we have served.
Honors and hands-on service drawn from the association’s records — several of them still going strong.
- Honored by the Kings County District Attorney for community service at the Caribbean Heritage Celebration.
- Books donated to the University of Guyana for the nursing program.
- Sponsored “Sickle Cell Day” in Guyana.
- CANA/NYBNA Nurses Week celebrations.
- Thanksgiving baskets for shut-ins and needy individuals in the community.
- Donations to Tots and Teens in Focus, part of the Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Foundation.
- Disaster relief for members and contributions to Caribbean countries affected by hurricanes — including donations for Hurricane Melissa in 2025–2026.
- A nurse provided to the Guyana Cultural Association’s summer camp — a service we still provide.
Be part of the next chapter.
Our history was written by nurses who refused to be discouraged. Join us, and help carry that work forward.