Page 30 - BusinessWest October 17, 2022

Such sentiments clearly explain why this initiative was undertaken and why it has per- severed through so many extreme challenges, said Deana Nunes, associate dean of the School of Nursing and assistant clinical professor at Elms and nurse educator and course faculty for the Haiti Nursing Continuing Education Pro- gram, adding that the results thus far have been encouraging on many levels, but especially in what she called the “thirst for learning” she has seen from the nurses from Haiti who have been involved with the program.
For this issue and its focus on healthcare education, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at this inspiring program, its goals, and the many ways in which success is being measured.
Course of Action
Duvernat — again, through her interpreter, Mistivar, who is also from Haiti — told Business- West that, since she was a child, she harbored dreams of becoming a doctor. In Haiti, though, the road to that profession is long and difficult, and she eventually set her sights on becom-
ing a nurse, a vocation that, as noted, brings even more responsibilities than it does in this country.
But, and also since childhood, she has want- ed to be an educator. And these twin passions, coupled with her desire to help others, have now come together as she advances her career as a nurse educator, with the goal to one day earn a doctorate — a path that has been accel- erated and helped in many ways by the Haiti Nursing Continuing Education Program and
its heavy emphasis on those words ‘continuing education.’
30 OCTOBER 17, 2022
This is what all those involved with the ini- tiative had in mind, said Dumay, noting that the program was born out of need, one that he was quite familiar with, and a desire among those at the college to meet that need.
“Elms College has a great School of Nursing and a strong reputation in the area for prepar- ing great nurses and healthcare professionals in general,” he said. “But Elms College has also had a desire, and some efforts, in reaching out- side Chicopee, outside Massachusetts; some of our students have gone to Jamaica for clinical programs, and we’ve had conversations with our partners in Japan around global health ini- tiatives.
“I’ve also had interactions and collaborations with those in higher education in Haiti, and I’ve also had interactions and collaborations with the Kellogg Foundation,” he continued, while explaining the genesis of the initiative in that country. “And I know that one of the strong desires of the Kellogg Foundation has been to support the reinforcement of human resources for health in Haiti, particularly around the sup- port of maternal and child healthcare.”
Looking at those synergistic aspirations and
competencies, it was natural to propose to the
Kellogg Foundation to help Elms in efforts to
reinforce nursing education in Haiti, he contin-
ued, adding that the pieces eventually fell into
place for what would become the Haiti Nursing
ContinuingEducationProgram,forwhichElms Womenof would partner with the Episcopal University of
Haiti and its school of Nursing.
Lousemie Duvernat, a graduate of the second cohort of nurse
educators, shares the stage with Elms College President Harry Elms Dumay at the recent graduation ceremonies.
Continued on page 35
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