FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Barbara Nitzberg (914) 654-5285

CNR HEALTH SERVICES DIRECTOR
TO GIVE KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR
NATIONAL NURSING WEEK CELEBRATION
 
NEW ROCHELLE, NY, May 7, 2004 -- The College of New Rochelle (CNR) today announced that Marie Serina, RN-C, MA, FNP-CS, Director of College Health Services at the College, will give the keynote address at the May 12 National Nursing Week commemoration at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center (Bronx, NY).  This event, sponsored by the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, will focus on this year’s American Nurses Association theme, “Nurses: Your Voice, Your Health, Your Life.” 

Ms. Serina will be joined by Natasha Ramgahan, RN, and Gail Wilson, RN, and Hope Holmes-Gay, RN, three students who are pursuing their baccalaureate degrees at the College’s School of Nursing. Ms. Serina and the three students will discuss their community nursing experience in Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Mexico -- two impoverished communities located right on the U.S.-Mexico border -- during CNR’s spring break (March 8-12, 2004).  The four traveled to these communities as part of the College’s annual community service project, the “Plunge.”

“Our goal was to empower the women in Brownsville and Matamoros by teaching them how to get to know and nurture their bodies and take a proactive approach to their own healthcare so that they could live a life of dignity and respect,” said Marie Serina, RN-C, MA, FNP-CS, Director of College Health Services at CNR.  “Our approach during this trip was also to make people aware of the important role that spirituality and the mind-body connection plays in one’s physical health.  The humanistic philosophy has become an integral aspect of healthcare and nursing today.”

Under the guidance of Ursuline nuns Sister Norma Raupple and Sister Maria Teresa De Llano, Ms. Serina and the three students helped educate Brownsville residents on major health issues affecting their community.  Some of the subjects they covered during their weeklong stay: alcoholism, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, heart health, obesity, oral health, osteoporosis, as well as yoga, deep breathing exercises, hypertension screenings, responsible sex behavior, and domestic violence.
 
Education for service has been an integral part of the CNR mission since its inception in 1904 when Mother Irene Gill of the Order of St. Ursula founded The College of New Rochelle as the first Catholic college for women in New York State.  CNR started the “Plunge” more than 10 years ago to give students the opportunity to perform community service.

Established in 1976, the School of Nursing is widely recognized for innovation and excellence in programming that is responsive to the public’s changing health needs. The School offers six programs: a traditional four-year undergraduate program leading to a bachelor of science in nursing; an accelerated program of study for RNs seeking a B.S.N.; an accelerated B.S.N. program for those holding degrees in other fields; an accelerated RN to M.S. program; and an M.S. degree program with tracks in holistic nursing, acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, and health care management.

The baccalaureate program at CNR prepares a nurse generalist who practices in a variety of settings with clients of all ages from diverse and multicultural populations.  A CNR graduate is prepared to assume beginning leadership roles and facilitate change to improve the quality of client care in the health care system.  The master’s program prepares a nurse professional at advanced levels of practice in health care management.  Specialty options in the program provide opportunities at all levels of advanced practice including health promotion and restoration, disease prevention and provision of care in acute and chronic illness.


The first Catholic college for women in New York State, The College of New Rochelle was founded in 1904 by the Ursuline Order. Today, it comprises the all-women School of Arts & Sciences, and three schools which admit women and men: the School of New Resources (for adult learners), the School of Nursing and the Graduate School.  The main campus of the College is located in lower Westchester County, 16 miles north of New York City.  The College maintains six other campus locations in New York City. Visit the College’s website at www.cnr.edu
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