The Indian Nurses Association of New York (INANY), the voice of nurses of Indian origin in New York state, is celebrating its 20th year of foundation and services. The association is planning a meaningful and colorful celebration to mark this significant milestone in its history.
The celebration will take place at Cotillion Caterers in Jericho, Long Island, as the base of the Association is in New York City and its suburbs. Dr. Anna George, the president of INANY and an Associate Professor at Molloy University, as well as a nurse practitioner at Northwell Health stated that individuals with proven expertise and leadership have been delegated to lead the planning, organization, and celebration of this event. Annie Sabu, a nurse practitioner at Northwell Health, is the Convenor, and Alphy Sundroop, a nurse educator at Nassau University Medical Center, is the Co-convenor. INANY will also be releasing a souvenir to commemorate this milestone. The chair of the souvenir committee is Dr. Shyla Roshin, who is the Chief Nursing Officer at South Beach Psychiatric Center. Paul D. Panakal, an adjunct professor at Long Island University and a consultant at Northwell Health System, is the co-chair.
INANY was founded in 2004 under the leadership of Dr. Aney Paul, the first Indian nurse ever elected to a legislature in the US. The association’s goal was to bring together the thousands of Indian nurses practicing in New York state and provide them with a unified voice in the mainstream and professional arenas. INANY has been collaborating with Grand Canyon University to facilitate tuition discounts for academic advancement. This has been instrumental in enabling scores of nurses to achieve Master’s and Doctoral degrees, further enhancing their skills and knowledge which in turn paved ladder to elevate their role responsibilities. Every year, the organization awards scholarships to nursing students in New York and India, supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals. Through its various initiatives, INANY has been instrumental in establishing the voice of thousands of Indian nurses practicing in New York state. The association’s efforts have helped to amplify the concerns and needs of this vital healthcare workforce, ensuring that they are recognized and supported in the professional arena. The association has been offering professional continuing education seminars for nurses. The continuing education credits are a requirement for nurses to recertify their specialty credentials. In addition, INANY has sent its teams to provide relief efforts in the Philippines, India, Haiti, and the southern United States after these regions were impacted by natural disasters. The organization has played a role in supporting recovery efforts in these areas. Other activities included organizing health fairs in Long Island, Queens and in upstate New York to help the under-insured or uninsured.
After emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, there had been an unprecedented surge in anti-Asian hate incidents across the United States. INANY was awarded a grant of ten thousand dollars to engage in activities to mitigate the incidents. Recognizing this surge as a social health issue, INANY developed and conducted an evidence-based intervention training series known as “5D Bystander Intervention” to confidence to and empower possible bystanders to extend helping hands to victims. This was done in collaboration with the Coalition of Asian Children and Families.
The founding president Dr. Aney Paul and the visionary presidents that followed her – Sosamma Andrews, Usha George, Mary Philip, Tara Shajan, and the current president Dr. Anna George – and their low profiled but sincere and service-oriented leadership teams have been elevating INANY through progressive and transformational ladder. As an organization embodied by direct-care providing nurses, educators, administrators and executives, scientists, academia, and advanced practice nurses, INANY offers a strong presence in the healthcare of New York state. As a chapter of the National Association of Indian Nurses in America, INANY is also involved nationally. Recently NAINA conducted a comprehensive education program to educate nurses to defend against infectious diseases. This was done as part of a project under American Nurses Association in partnership with Center for Disease Control.
New York state governor Kathy Hochul and New York City mayor Eric Adams were among who appreciated the services of INANY.
Dr. Anna George said that the celebration will be taking place on May 4th together with the Nurses Week celebration.
Paul D. Panakal
