Nuestra Herencia Sana: OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos Celebrates Hispanic Nurses and Community Healing

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 2025, OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos reminds us that healing is more than a profession—it’s a cultural legacy.

“Nuestra Herencia Sana” (“Our Heritage Heals”) is the 2025 campaign from OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos, a national initiative created and fully stewarded by Semilla Multicultural™. This year, the campaign celebrates its fifth anniversary with a local launch at Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs Campus, while continuing to highlight nurses and communities nationwide.

Founded in 2020 by multicultural strategist Gabriela ‘Gaby’ Alcantara-Diaz, the initiative marks its fifth anniversary with the unveiling of a new artwork by Miami-based artist Annie Reyes. The portrait, revealed at a ceremony hosted by Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs Campus, captures the grace, resilience, and quiet power of nurses whose heritage and compassion symbolize the healing potential of communities everywhere.

“The loss of my brother, Luis Alcantara, just months before COVID-19 made me determined to honor the heroes among us—our nurses. But my inspiration began long before that, with my mamá brava, a surgical nurse in Uruguay who continued serving as a nurse’s aide and administrator in the U.S., dedicating her life to healing and uplifting others. Watching her navigate challenges with courage and compassion showed me what it truly means to care for a community.

Growing up in a family devoted to healthcare, and through years of marketing to Hispanic communities, I’ve seen firsthand how storytelling can educate, inspire, and empower. That’s why I created OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos—to elevate the voices, stories, and cultural wisdom of Hispanic nurses, highlighting their dedication, mentorship, and the impact they have on communities across South Florida and beyond.”
— Gabriela ‘Gaby’ Alcantara-Diaz, Founder, OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos and Semilla Multicultural™

 Nurses as a Model for Healing

OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos has recognized outstanding nurses nationwide—from New York and Texas to Colorado, Ohio, and South Florida. This year’s honorees include five exceptional nurses from Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs Campus, exemplifying how commitment, compassion, and corazón can heal individuals and communities alike.

These nurses serve as living metaphors: their dedication, cultural competence, and courage remind us that sanar y salvar—healing and saving—extends beyond healthcare, reaching into families, neighborhoods, and communities.

“Programs like OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos honor the dedication, heart, and cultural expertise of Hispanic nurses,” says Yoely Hernandez, CEO of Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs Campus. “We’re proud to celebrate their contributions and ensure their stories reach the communities they so deeply understand.”

A Legacy of Representation

Over five years, the initiative has partnered with leading South Florida healthcare institutions—including HCA Florida Kendall Regional Hospital, Palmetto General Hospital, and Coral Gables Hospital—building a legacy of storytelling, advocacy, and inspiration.

In 2022, the program expanded with OurNursesBravasSanas y Salvas™, focusing on mental wellness and self-care for nurses navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Each campaign reinforces the mission: celebrating nurses as cultural leaders and inspiring communities to embrace healing in every facet of life.

Why Representation Matters

Nationally, only 6.9% of registered nurses identify as Hispanic or Latino (AACN, 2024), despite Hispanics representing nearly 19% of the U.S. population. In Florida, Hispanic nurses make up approximately 15.5% of the workforce, compared with 28.7% of residents. In South Florida specifically, RNs are 39% Hispanic, APRNs 45.5%, and LPNs 23.2%, highlighting both the presence and the critical need for bilingual, culturally competent care.

Other major Hispanic communities, including Los Angeles, Houston, and New York, face similar disparities. Nuestra Herencia Sana highlights this gap while honoring those stepping into these essential roles, offering a metaphor for how every Latino can contribute to healing, mentoring, and community resilience.

Art as a Language of Healing

The newly unveiled artwork by Annie Reyes embodies this universal vision:

“Este póster nace como un abrazo visual a nuestras enfermeras y enfermeros. ‘OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos’ no es solo un lema, es un grito de orgullo y gratitud hacia quienes con su coraje y compasión transforman el dolor en esperanza. Es un tributo al poder de la identidad, a la riqueza de nuestras raíces y al lenguaje universal del cuidado.”

“This poster is a visual embrace to our nurses. ‘OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos’ is not just a phrase, it is a cry of pride and gratitude for those who, with courage and compassion, transform pain into hope. It is a tribute to the power of identity, the richness of our roots, and the universal language of care.”

“Annie’s work captures what words often cannot—the warmth, dignity, and humanity that define our nurses. This piece reminds us that Nuestra Herencia Sana—our heritage heals—and that storytelling, like nursing, can be its own form of medicine. It invites all of us to find ways to heal, uplift, and save within our own communities.” — Gabriela ‘Gaby’ Alcantara-Diaz

Looking Ahead

As OurNursesSonBravas® y Bravos celebrates five years, it calls on all Latinos to embrace healing, resilience, and cultural pride. Nurses remain at the heart of this movement, showing through action and example that compassion, courage, and corazón are essential to personal and collective well-being.

“Nuestra Herencia Sana reminds us that healing isn’t just what nurses do—it’s who they are, and it’s a practice we can all embrace in our families, neighborhoods, and communities.” — Alcantara-Diaz

Historical Note: The initiative was originally launched in collaboration with gadMCinc® and has since been fully developed and marketed by Semilla Multicultural™.

For more information, visit www.ournursessonbravasybravos.com or follow #OurNursesSonBravasyBravos on social media.