The National Association of Hispanic Nurses is launching a Westchester chapter in Yonkers, where the Hispanic population is more than 70,000.
The nonprofit is a professional association that seeks to provide Hispanic nurses with equal access to education and professional and economic opportunities. It has two other chapters in New York state.
The association said it hopes to reduce the gap in the nursing profession in New York, where the Hispanic population is 17.7 percent yet Hispanics account for 3.7 percent of nurses.
The Westchester chapter will officially launch Friday with a meeting at the Yonkers Public Library from 3 to 5 p.m. Speakers will include state Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer, Yonkers City Councilwoman Corazon Pineda and Lucia Alfano, incoming president of the Westchester NAHN chapter.
Alfano serves on the nursing faculty at Concordia College in Bronxville and as a public health nurse at Sterling Care in Greenwich. She is co-chair for tactical support and operations for the Future of Nursing: NYS Action Coalition.
The state coalition, an official action coalition of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and AARP, is partnering with NAHN to open the chapter.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and the Hispanic Advisory Board of Yonkers are also providing support to the Westchester NAHN chapter.
Those interested in attending a meeting can contact NAHNWestchester@gmail.com or visit NAHN Westchester on Facebook.
