Boston Nurse Wins National Award for Outstanding Filipino American Women

Link to MinorityNurse.com

For Gretheline R. Bolandrina, BSN, RN, CRRN, being recognized for outstanding service to the nursing profession and the community is nothing new. The Boston nurse, who works for SunBridge Care and Rehabilitation for Milford in Milford, Mass., has been honored over the years with numerous awards from organizations such as the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Philippine Nurses Association of New England and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.

This past fall, Bolandrina, who is also a clinical instructor at the Massachusetts Bay Community College, added another, even more prestigious honor to her resume. She received the 2005 National Prism Award for Women of Style and Achievements, given by the Gintong Pamana (Golden Heritage) Awards Foundation in cooperation with the publications PhilippineTIME-U.S.A. and The Fil-Am Weekly MegaScene.

The National Prism Award celebrates the achievements of outstanding Filipino American women who have “an inherent power to make things happen [and who have] consistently made a difference in other people’s lives.” Bolandrina, a 1987 graduate of the University of Santo Tomas College of Nursing in Manila, certainly fits that description. Since coming to Boston in 1989, she has volunteered with many community service organizations, including the Girl Scouts, Locks of Love, HOPE Foundation International, Iskwelahang Pilipino, the Lowell Folk Festival, Bagong Kulturang Pinoy and more. She also writes a column for the newsmagazine Planet Philippines.

—compiled by the editors of Minority Nurse magazine