Meet Our Donors

Bernadette Curry

For Dr. Bernadette Curry, the connection to St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center and Catholic Health spans more than six decades—shaped by her career as a nurse, a nursing educator and dean, and by her own experience as a patient.

Dr. Curry first heard of St. Francis Hospital in the 1950s, while studying at Niagara University, when the hospital was already known throughout health care for its exceptional cardiac care. That early awareness would prove meaningful years later, when her own health care needs brought her in as a patient.

But her involvement with the hospital extends far beyond its reputation and her own care. As a nurse educator and eventually Dean of the School of Nursing at Molloy University, Dr. Curry was invited to serve on numerous committees within the Catholic Health system, working on nursing credentialing, Mission and Ministry work, and with Catholic Health Home Care and Good Shepherd Hospice.

In 2018, after being admitted with a pre-existing sepsis infection, she spent 57 days at St. Francis Hospital. What she witnessed during that time left a lasting impression.

"Everything was done with such professionalism," she recalls. "I really felt as though they were truly taking care of me—in every way."

She remembers the hospital president stopping by on his way to lunch, knowing each of the staff members by their names and asking after their families. She remembers the dignity with which every patient was treated, the careful communication, and the sense that care was being done with her, not to her.

"The people who come in—whether through the ER or another form of admission—are regarded with dignity," she says. "St. Francis in particular goes above and beyond."

Her career has taken her through nearly every corner of nursing—from obstetrics and orthopedics to the operating room, pediatrics and ultimately education, where she earned her Ph.D. and devoted herself to preparing the next generation of nurses. Her thirst for knowledge has never left her. Now retired, Dr. Curry continues to attend conferences, read widely, and serves as a team leader for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the national accrediting body for baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs.

Why She Gives

Drawing on a lifetime of perspectives—nurse, educator, committee member and patient—Dr. Curry chose to make St. Francis Hospital part of her future financial plans.

"Our hospitals are there for all of us when we need it—but that doesn't just happen by chance. It takes planning and foresight. That's why I chose to include the hospital in my plans. No matter your age, planning ahead is how you make sure the things you care about continue to be there for others. I didn't want my support to be an afterthought—I wanted it to be part of a lasting commitment."

For Dr. Curry, that commitment reflects everything she has spent her career championing: quality care, lifelong learning and the belief that genuine caring—the kind she has both given and received—is something worth protecting for generations to come.