The Caribbean Nurses Organization (CNO) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-partisan,
regional professional (umbrella) nursing organization of individual Nurses,
Nurses Associations in the Caribbean and Caribbean Nurses living in the Caribbean,
and abroad. It is the oldest Regional nurses professional organization.
CNO is a self-governing nurses' organization, formed by nurses for nurses of
the Caribbean and adjoining islands and countries.
CNO was founded in May 1957, on the island of Antigua, West Indies.
Geographically, it spans the range of Caribbean islands, and part of the mainland
of Central and South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and neighbouring oceans.
CNO comprises British, Dutch, French, Spanish Territories and Independent Caribbean
countries, as well as the United States of America, through the Caribbean American
Nurses Association (CANA), the US Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands State Nurses Associations (St. Croix) and (St. Thomas/ St. John).
CNO member countries include
1. Fourteen sovereign member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including
Antigua and Barbuda, The Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados, Haiti,
the Commonwealth of Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago; the mainland countries of Belize in
Central America, Guyana and Suriname in South America.
2. Two semi-autonomous States of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - a) Aruba
and b) the Netherlands Antillean Island Territories of Bonaire, Curacao, St.
Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba.
3. Six British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands,
Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. (N.B. Bermuda
is also a member of CARICOM).
4. Four USA States -The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Territory of the US
Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix) and The Caribbean American
Nurses Association (CANA) whose nurses reside mainly in New York, USA,)
5. Three Territories of the Republic of France consisting of French Guyana,
the Federation of Nurses (St. Martin, Guadeloupe, St. Barthelemy) and Martinique
History
MS. MAVIS HARNEY (BROWN), former President of the Antigua and Barbuda Nurses
Association, (now residing in Barbados) is the recognized FOUNDER of the Caribbean
Nurses Organization. Fourteen (14) other Nursing Pioneers supported her in the
founding. They are:-
Mrs. Ivy Bennett - British Honduras (now Belize)
Miss Violet Findlay-Benn - Grenada
Monsieur Como - Martinique
Miss Louie Carey - Nevis
Miss Elisa Carpena - Puerto Rico
Mrs. Aide Lizardi - Puerto Rico
Miss Flora Balnchette - St.Croix
Mr. James Gordon - St.Croix
Mrs. Edna Armony - St.Kitts
Miss Verna Poon- Wai - St.Kitts
Miss Evelyn Prince - St.Thomas
Mrs. D. Richards - St.Vincent
Miss. Mavis Harney* - (Host Association President)
Miss D. Sowerby - (Host Association Secretary)
Mrs. G. Stephenson - (Host Association Treasurer)
• Ms. Mavis Harney, the Founder is still alive and lives in Barbados.
• CNO members celebrate her birthday - October 26 as CNO Day.
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