Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados TODAY Inc.
by Vincent “Boo” Nurse
The life and career of Barbadian Eleanor Larrier has thus far been a remarkable and outstanding success. Born at St Martins, St Philip, the daughter of Samuel (aka Johnny Larrier) and Ira Weekes-Larrier, she left Barbados in early adolescence to travel to New York where she completed her tertiary education.
Eleanor had attended St Martins Girls School and Queen’s College before entering Hunter College City University of New York. She majored in French for her first degree and then joined New York City Public Schools to teach French and other subjects.
However, teaching did not meet her goal and she therefore sought and found a job in Community Health where she remained for 20 years.
During this period Eleanor gained her master’s degree in public administration with special emphasis on health planning and administration.
A career in health care beckoned and Larrier worked in Hospital Administration for 20 years.
At this point a career move seemed to be uppermost in her mind and she successfully applied for the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Bronx Community Health Network (BCHN), a position which she has held for the last 21 years.
As CEO Eleanor has seen the network grow and achieve many credits in the community. However, she is quick to say in a most self-effacing manner that all achievements could not have been attained without the help of her team which she describes as “awesome”.
Eleanor was on holiday visiting her mother when she spoke to Barbados TODAY, and I asked her to explain more fully the works of BCHN. She said: “BCHN works exclusively and purposefully in the Bronx to provide all types of health care services to those in the community who are least able to afford health care services.”
The CEO added that BCHN places great emphasis squarely on extolling the virtues of preventative action which should be taken in order to nullify the negative effects of hypertension and diabetes.
I am now interested in knowing the breakdown of BCHN’s clientele. There is a perception held in Barbados and perhaps beyond that the Bronx is heavily populated with Barbadian and other Caribbean people and therefore I assumed that Miss Larrier would be likely to meet many from the rock.
However, the CEO quickly informed that the majority of the clientele are Hispanics, Latinos, African Americans, and West Africans, primarily from Senegal. And Barbadians? Surely! Eleanor said Barbadians who visited were at a minimum.
Barbadians in the diaspora of the US and the UK are becoming accustomed to being told of the excellent work of fellow nationals across the globe and the high level of responsibility they exert in many fields. Larrier is no exception.
There are 18 community centres run under her oversight. The operation is funded directly by a federal grant and currently receives 11 million dollars annually.
The quiet and self-assured QC alumnus seems not to be fazed by the responsibility she shoulders. Her major concern is to deliver effective health care to the many who are in need of it. She said: “Our services are broadly based and are as varied as can be imagined. Another integral part of our services is the provision of primary care for which we are also funded.
We place great importance and emphasis on the preventative side of health care and seek to educate our clients on the many ways through which this can be achieved.” And she continued: “We try to ensure that clients are our number one priority, and we also carry out scheduled visits to homes where it is thought to be necessary to do so.”
This is obviously not an ordinary network, and I therefore asked the CEO to give further insight into its operations.
She said the network operates community workshops as part of its education process and this has been found to be most helpful in the general process of providing the many health care facilities.
Undoubtedly, the task before Miss Larrier is challenging, and demands great output. However, she seems undaunted.
She reports to a Board of Directors which includes a majority of patients and other professionals, and no doubt her advice and guidance are valued.
So, what is it that brought this former language teacher to the cutting edge of providing health care to the inhabitants of a New York borough that is not known for its wealth? Larrier said: “I have a philosophy that is founded on a concept that basic health care should be available to all regardless.”
And are there any specific areas that engage her thoughts? Larrier said that she is ever mindful of the physical and mental destruction that breast cancer can wreak on a body.
She repeats the old mantra that women should check and check again, and she hopes that no stone is left unturned in the fight against this disease.
Turning to the situation in Barbados she said she would want to be engaged in the facilitation of seminars on the subject. I asked her to expand. Larrier said:
“I would like to see a cadre of community residents trained to provide preventative education and support for cancer survivors.”
She is passionate about health care and its benefits, and she dreams of the day when all Barbadians will be able to receive health care services irrespective of their social standing.
Eleanor sees her professional life as a glass half full, a journey not yet complete and she has a burning ambition to contribute as best she can to the development of Barbados particularly in the field of health care for the poor and aged.
She has expressed a desire to make herself available in whatever form after she has retired.
Eleanor has a son, Khalil Forde. She is married to Trevor Puesey, and is the sister of Ian Larrier, a former Lecturer at the UWI.
Vincent “Boo” Nurse is a Barbadian living in London who is a retired land Revenue Manager, Pensions and Investment Adviser. He is passionate about the development of his island home and diaspora.
