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Legislator Paul Leads Nurses’ Week Celebration

Lyssy Alex, Elizabeth Falco, and Esther Louisme Honored For 
Outstanding Nursing & Volunteer Community Service 

New City, NY (May 9, 2024) – The Rockland County Legislature is celebrating National Nurses Week by recognizing the contributions of three local residents who have long worked as nurses and spent hours volunteering to better the community.

Legislator Aney Paul, who holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice and has been a nurse for more than 30 years, presented Distinguished Service Awards to nurses Lyssy Alex, Elizabeth Falco, and Esther Louisme. She was joined by Legislator Toney Earl, whose wife is also a longtime nurse. Each honoree was presented with a Distinguished Service Award, the Legislature’s highest honor.

The theme of this year’s Nurses’ Week is “Nurses Make The Difference,” according to the American Nurses’ Association. The week is set aside to honor the varying roles of nurses and their positive impact on our lives. Nurses make a difference as trusted advocates who ensure individuals, families, and communities receive quality patient care and services.

“Anyone who has ever interacted with a nurse – probably the vast majority of people – knows just how true that statement is: Nurses Make The Difference,” Legislator Paul said. “So many people have benefitted from the knowledge, care and professionalism of nurses and this evening we are honoring three outstanding nurses, women who have proven themselves in their chosen professions while also finding time to give back to the community. We are grateful for their many contributions.”

May is traditionally the month when nurses are recognized worldwide, in part because May 12 is the birthday of Florence Nightingale. She professionalized nursing roles for women and is known as the founder of modern nursing.

ELIZABETH “LIZ” FALCO has been an active member of the Rockland nursing community since 1978 and throughout her career, has focused on psychiatric nursing. She has been a leading voice in destigmatizing mental health illnesses and promoting mental health care.

Liz earned her Nursing Degree from Rockland Community College and her Master’s in Nursing Education from Mercy University. She is an Adjunct Professor at both RCC and Mercy, as well as Dominican University.

During her career, Liz worked at Nyack Hospital and Pomona Inpatient, later joining Rockland Psychiatric Center, where she retired in 2020 as a Nurse Administrator and College Liaison. She continues to serve in leadership roles as a Board Member of the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, NAMI Rockland and the Mental Health Association of Rockland County.

Liz recently founded the all-volunteer Rockland County Nurses Honor Guard, a chapter of the National Nurses Honor Guard Coalition, which offers a memorial tribute program to honor the lives of deceased nurses who have served our community with care and compassion.

Liz is a member of the Professional Nurses’ Association of Rockland County and a former Board Member for the Rockland County Nurses Recognition Day Committee, where she started the “White Rose Ceremony” to remember nurses who passed away the prior year.

After graduating from All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi, LYSSY ALEX worked in the pediatric ICUs at AIIMS and at King Fahad Hospital in Saudi Arabia. She also served as a Nursing Tutor at Marygiri Hospital in India.

For the past 24 years, Lyssy has worked as an RN at Westchester Medical Center in the High Risk Maternity Department, where she is a Nurse Manager. Lyssy is Certified in Maternal Newborn Nursing and throughout her career has embraced opportunities for self-development and learning, including attending leadership, resiliency and wellbeing classes.

At WMC, Lyssy worked through an incredible number of challenges on the maternity ward, where, during the pandemic, pregnant women who had COVID-19 were transferred from hospitals around the tri-state area. During this period, Lyssy was also instrumental in mentoring and supporting new nurses in providing safe, quality patient care.

Since 2005, Lyssy has been a member of the Indian Nurses Association of New York, serving twice as Treasurer, and as a member of the Executive Board, and working with the GB Team to empower nurses by promoting their talents through educational, cultural and social activities.

Lyssy has served as a Hudson Valley Malayalee Association President, joining Legislator Paul for road cleanups, among other activities. She also helped pack PPE kits – hand sanitizer, gloves, and other items - for distribution to those in need. As a FOKANA Women’s Forum Chairperson, she worked to help uplift and get assistance for women suffering mental and physical trauma. She is also vice president of the CCD program at the Syro Malabar Catholic Church, helping to share her faith with children.

ESTHER LOUISME knew she wanted to be a nurse at the age of 8 and clearly remembers being on the playground and helping her school friends whenever they were hurt. It was a calling that she didn’t yet fully grasp, but by the time it was time to choose a career, she knew she wanted to help people and to earn a degree in nursing.

Esther has been a nurse for 34 years with nursing experiences that include Geriatric, Medical-Surgical, Critical Care and Leadership. In 1997, she organized a Breast Cancer Awareness gathering for the members of  her church, which was so successful, she was asked to make it a yearly program. Esther is also a very active member of her church's Medical Team and works to teach the community about different diseases, with prevention an essential component of the programs. She had the opportunity to participate in the recovery phase in Haiti after it was devastated by the 2010 earthquake.

Esther is a member of the Haitian American Nurses Association of Hudson Valley (HANA), Haiti ABC, and Pearls of Life Women's Foundation. The organizations provide a platform to serve local communities in Rockland County, United States, and even abroad. Through the organizations, Ester has had  the opportunity to be part of blood pressure screenings and to educate the community about hypertension and cardiac disease; to conduct annual coat drives; and to provide support to families that suffered devastating fires and the deaths of loved ones. During the winter, the organizations work collaboratively to provide warm blankets to shelters throughout the community, and to prepare Christmas holiday care packages, which include essential toiletries, and are delivered to local women in need.

Esther says she is blessed to have a career that she loves and that allows her to do what she does best: Help people.

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