Nurse Elaine Gillard and her lifelong calling for caring

06/09/25 at 03:00 AM

Nurse Elaine Gillard and her lifelong calling for caring 
New York Amsterdam News; by Leyrian Colón Santiago; 6/5/25 
Treating patients with dignity and with an awareness of the disparities that Black people face in accessing health care were the two main reasons Elaine Gillard decided to become a nurse 14 years ago. ... According to a 2024 analysis, Black-American New Yorkers experienced the lowest health system performance in the state compared to white individuals. For Gillard, a 41-year-old native of Staten Island and a nurse at VNS Health Care, the disparities affecting the Black-American population were what inspired her to focus her nursing career on hospice care. ... Gillard believes that being a Black nurse and caring for patients from Black-American communities helps foster greater trust in the health care system.

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