NEW YORK NURSE: May 2011

Staff profile: Tracey Brown, SPAN Regional Coordinator

by Alison Munday

Tracey Brown joined the New York State Nurses Association staff in July 2010 as a regional coordinator for the Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses (SPAN) program, a resource for RNs coping with chemical dependency problems. Brown previously worked with chemically dependent and mentally ill clients in the Pederson-Krag Center in Huntington, NY and at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, NY.

Where are you originally from?

I was born and raised in Levittown, NY.

Where did you go to school?

I graduated from Levittown Memorial High School. I earned an associate’s degree in nursing from Nassau Community College; a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Deaconness College of Nursing; and a master’s degree in nursing from Stony Brook University.

What drew you to the opening in SPAN?

My last ten years in nursing were spent in the chemical dependency field. Honestly, my good friend held the SPAN Regional Coordinator position before me and recommended that I apply.

How and where do you ideally like to spend your free time?

I spend my free time at my daughter Meg’s lacrosse games (she plays for Adelphi University), and I run a support group at my church.

Any hobbies, interests?

I love animals and would live on a big cat (lions, tigers, panthers) sanctuary, if I could. As it is, I have ferrets, tortoises and a hamster. We lost our Rottweiller to cancer last year. I also love to learn about human behavior and why we do what we do. I use that information in my work with people struggling with addiction.

Tell us about your family.

I have two boys and two girls. Bryan is 25, and an officer in the U.S. Army; daughter Jayni is 23, and married, and expecting our first grandchild this month! Alden is 21, a singer and music minister in my church, Praise Tabernacle in Massapequa; and Meg is 20, and studying criminal justice at Adelphi University. I also have a wonderful husband!

Favorite book and movie?

I loved reading the Harry Potter series because they were fun and mindless, in the sense that they required no thought on my part. Pure entertainment.

Your favorite place, anywhere?

My favorite place is anywhere there is wide open space, green grass and sunshine.

If I were pushy enough to invite myself to dinner, what would be on the menu?

If you came for dinner at my house, you’d leave hungry. I’m not much of a cook.

I’m technologically challenged and don’t possess an iPod. You seem like a pretty ‘with-it’ individual. So, what’s on yours?

I’m electronically impaired too, so I don’t have an iPod, but I do have four twenty-something year old kids who take care of my computers, HD TV and Blackberry issues for me!

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