By Darell Artates
Even before COVID-19 struck, Filipino and Filipino-American nurses have been partners of the Philippine Embassy in delivering services to kababayans in Washington, D.C. and the southeastern states of the United States. Virginia “Ghie” Alagano, a retired infection control nurse, is one of them.
Based in Orlando, Florida, Virginia “Ghie” Alagano is proof that there’s more to retirement than just spending those sunset years in leisure. Hard working and passionate about making a difference, she continues to serve her countrymen in the US – both as a retired medical practitioner and a leader within the Filipino-American community.
As the Philippine Nurses Association of America’s (PNAA) National Coordinator for the Philippine Embassy Consular Outreach Missions, Ghie plays a pivotal role in planning, scheduling and taking care of logistics required for consular outreach missions.
Aside from connecting the PNAA’s local chapters with the Embassy, Ghie leads a number of Fil-Am nurses in organizing outreach missions for the benefit of Filipino nationals who are unable to travel to Washington to avail themselves of the services provided by the Philippine Embassy, including passport renewal and civil registration.
During this pandemic, Ghie also drew from her experience as an infection control nurse to make customized masks that are designed to fit snuggly to the face, and yet remain breathable, to serve maximum protection against the novel coronavirus.
She donated her customized masks to Embassy personnel, her Philippine Nurses Association of Central Florida colleagues and their spouses, and others who provide frontline services. She notes that quality masks are expensive and this is her way of helping to lessen the financial burden of frontline workers. Last June, Ghie was also the resource speaker for a briefing on infectious diseases and their prevention for Embassy personnel.
‘You Filipino nurses are the best!’
The novel coronavirus pandemic highlighted the key role and contributions of overseas Filipino nurses in the healthcare systems of many countries. Here in the United States, about one-third of foreign-born nurses are Filipinos.
Asked what makes Filipino nurses exceptional, Ghie shares, “There is a saying that ‘every Filipino is related to each other’, and they carry that trait to their patients – treating them like their own family. And that is what I think makes Filipino nurses as the best caregivers.”
When Ghie was working as a new RN, a patient, who was a retired professor at Yale University told her: “You Filipino nurses, are the best healthcare workers in every hospital in the USA.”
“Most Filipino healthcare professionals are dreamers and doers. They strive for higher education. Either they want to advance to a management position or become an educator, or to excel as direct care frontline health care worker,” Ghie observes.
Life in the US
Ghie, her civil engineer husband, Edwin, and two children moved to the United States from Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War in 1991. Even then, she was no stranger to the United States since the Saudi hospital she had worked for also sponsored her annual attendance in the Association of Practitioners in Infection Control (APIC) Conference in the U.S. The hospital also sponsored her participation in the International Infectious Diseases Conference hosted by Harvard University in Boston.
During their first few months residing in U.S., the family experienced culture shock, and had to draw from their savings to sustain their daily needs as both Ghie and Edwin were yet to pass the board examinations that would grant them the license to practice their professions in the United States. Finally, after much hard work, Ghie and Edwin received their licenses as a registered nurse (RN) and professional engineer (PE), respectively. They started to feel hopeful about fulfilling their American dream.
Ghie and Edwin found stable employment and the family eventually became U.S. citizens. Ghie is proud of their two children who are both accomplished professionals. Her son, Gierwin, has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT). Her daughter, Jayne Wingie, is a Communications graduate with a major in TV and Radio Broadcast Journalism and is now working in Los Angeles, California.
Fostering “bayanihan”
Aside from being a nurse leader, Ghie has also been involved in various Filipino and Asian community organizations in Central Florida. She is a volunteer to the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition (PHC), whose mission is to assist in rebuilding lives and building the future of Philippine communities affected by natural calamities.
As she looks back on her journey, she offers this advice to immigrant Filipino nurses who are just starting out: Follow your dreams and strive hard. Always continue learning, observe the qualities of a good nurse, and demonstrate commitment to support your profession. Do not be afraid to make your voice be heard.
She expresses hope that fellow Filipinos in the United States will continue to preserve the “bayanihan” spirit of helping and supporting each other, be proud of their cultural heritage, and give back to the Philippines – “our homeland that has given us so much and helped make us into what we are and who we are today.”
Darell Artates is the Public Diplomacy Officer of the Philippine Embassy in the United States of America. She oversees the Embassy’s cultural diplomacy programs, manages media relations, and coordinates with the Filipino-American communities in areas under the Embassy’s jurisdiction.
