Providing financial support to nurses in their time of need.

About Us

Nurses House is a nurse-managed, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping registered nurses in need across the United States.

Founded in 1924, Nurses House was originally a beachfront mansion on Long Island where nurses could rest and recuperate. Though Nurses House is no longer a physical place of respite, it continues to fulfill the mission of helping nurses when they need it most.


A handful of staff and volunteers wearing shirts with the Nurses House logo on them stand in a row and pose for the camera.

Today, Nurses House is run by a volunteer board of directors. Our mission is to provide short-term financial assistance to registered nurses facing difficulties as a result of illness, injury, or disability. Nurses House grants cover rent or mortgage payments to ensure nurses facing a serious medical crisis don’t lose their home as a result.

It is often difficult for nurses to ask for help in their own hour of need, after dedicating their lives to healing the ill and injured. At Nurses House, we remember — and we care for those who have given so much care and support to others.

Our History

Emily Bourne was not a nurse, but she knew the positive impact nurses have those they care for. When she passed away in 1922, Bourne bequeathed $300,000 for the purchase of a property that would serve as a place where nurses, ill or exhausted, could come to rest between caring for patients. That amount is equivalent to about $6 million today.

Nurses on a beach

Since its inception, Nurses House has received millions of dollars in individual donations and bequests and helped thousands of nurses from all 50 states regain their health, productivity, and stability through small personal grants. Anyone who bequeaths a portion of their estate greatly assists our ability to help nurses in need and continues Emily Bourne’s legacy.

A dolphin fountain on the original property became the symbol for Nurses House. The dolphin is not only a remembrance of our organization’s beginnings, but is also a symbol of our lasting mission. Dolphins have been known to care for members of their pod who become sick or injured until they recovers the strength to swim on their own. Through Nurses House, nurses and their larger community are able to do the same for their colleagues.

Staff

  • Deborah Elliott, MBA, BSN, RN

    Executive Director

  • Jennifer Lashwa

    Finance Manager

  • Stephanie Dague, BA

    Director of Development

Board Members

Ilene Sussman, RN – President

Elizabeth Mahoney, EdD, MS, RNVice President

James Weidel, PhD, FNP-BC, PMHMP-BC – Treasurer

Mary Anne Radioli, MA, RN – Secretary

Directors

Noreen Brennan, PhD, RN-BC, NEA-BC
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Patricia Myron, FNP, MSN, RN
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Mary Anne Gallagher, DNP, RN Ped-BC
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Barbara Sommer, RN, MA, CEN, NE-BC
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Carolee Hildenbrandt, MA, RN
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Karen Ballard, MA, RN, FAAN
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Gertrude B. Hutchinson, DNS, RN, MA, MSIS, Retired CCRN Read Bio