'Other Voices' program to highlight Lockport's hospital and nursing

The Niagara County Historical Society will present the next installment in its “Other Voices” program at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 23. The free program, open to the public, will feature a talk on the history of Lockport’s hospital and the changing role of its nurses.

After a thumbnail history of the Lockport Hospital – presented by NCHS Executive Director Melissa Dunlap – Virginia Fitch and Maralyn Militello will speak on changes in health care, their impact on Lockport’s hospital, and nurses’ experiences with the coronavirus pandemic. Anne McCaffrey will follow this with a discussion of the plans for the new Lockport Memorial Hospital.

Fitch is a registered nurse who has been with Eastern Niagara Hospital since 1989. Her areas of expertise include critical-care nursing and adult/surgical nursing. She is a recipient of the Daisy Award, which is given to a nurse who is highly recognized by patients, families and/or peers for compassion and contributions to the nursing profession.

Militello is chief nursing officer at ENH, and has more than 30 years of experience in hospitals and health care systems. She has been nurse leader at ENH since 2019. She is a board-certified nurse executive and a certified professional in health care quality.

McCaffrey is the president and CEO of Eastern Niagara Hospital. Prior to joining ENH in 2018, she was the 57th mayor of the City of Lockport. McCaffrey has played a key role in the restructuring of ENH and in developing the strategic relationship with Catholic Health, which will commence with the opening of the new, state-of-the-art hospital in Lockport in 2023.

“Other Voices, Past & Present” is a series of talks funded by a Verizon Community Benefits Grant through the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. It focuses on groups whose voices have been underrepresented in history and the present.

The May program will highlight Vietnam veterans, and will be hosted by Edward “Ted” Jackson.