[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 78 (Friday, June 16, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  A TRIBUTE TO DR. EDA HARRIS-HASTICK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 15, 2006

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Dr. Eda 
Harris-Hastick, a distinguished member of the Brooklyn, New York 
community.
  Dr. Eda Harris-Hastick is a tenured Associate Professor of Social 
Work at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. A 
trained clinical social worker with over 30 years experience in 
alcoholism and substance abuse services and administration, she has 
also served as Assistant Chief of Alcoholism Services at Harlem 
Hospital Center and is a former Administrator at New York City 
Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Alcoholism 
Services.
  Dr. Harris-Hastick began her career at Medgar in 1984 in the dual 
capacity of Director of College Counseling Services and Chairperson of 
Special Programs. Since that time, she has initiated several innovative 
programs to assist students including an Emergency Financial Assistance 
Fund to aid students in financial crisis (1984), the Rose Ross 
Scholarship Fund for students interested in social work and/or social 
welfare, in memory of a former social work colleague (1998), and has 
served as the MEC Coordinator for the CUNY-wide Substance Abuse 
Information and Referral Services Unit. As director of the MEC Academic 
Success Center, Dr. Harris-Hastick supervised academic advisors and 
counselors, and in collaboration with the OAA, initiated creative 
strategies to implement counselor training, centralize and streamline 
the college's academic advisement and counseling services programs that 
were later expanded into a separate unit to serve students in a more 
comprehensive manner. A recipient of numerous research grants and 
academic awards, she has been engaged in several community initiatives 
and international health and mental health missions to the Caribbean, 
where she has utilized her expertise as educator, researcher and social 
worker to balance teaching and academic research with community 
service. Dr. Harris-Hastick has studied Korean and Caribbean immigrant 
cultures in Brooklyn and in the Caribbean and has involved students in 
collaborative research projects to teach research/problem solving 
skills in local/international community contexts. Her publications and 
her research continue to reflect her interest/commitment to 
understanding cultural differences, women's issues and public health 
concerns.
  Dr. Harris-Hastick has completed the initial stages of the 
development of a Bachelor of Social Work degree. In addition, she has 
continued to serve as faculty advisor for the MEC Student Black Social 
Work Club, which she assisted in initiating in 1995. As an elected 
member of the City University Faculty Senate (UFS), she also serves as 
an elected member of the Executive Committee of the UFS. A founding 
member of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry 
(CACCI), she currently serves as board member of CACCI's Educational 
Foundation, Caribbean Research Center's Editorial Board, SUNY Downstate 
Medical Center Community Advisory Board, Journal of Social Work 
Practice in the Addictions Editorial Board, NYC Chapter of NASW 
Leadership Team, and NYS OASAS (Substance Abuse) Workforce Development.
  Dr. Harris-Hastick was born on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and 
has traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean where she has 
conducted research on substance abuse, organized training seminars and 
collaborated with faculty and administration at the University of the 
West Indies, and with social workers, health clinicians and others 
practitioners engaged in chemical dependency and HIV/AIDS studies, 
treatment and administration. Dr. Harris-Hastick's published work 
consists of several journal articles and a book chapter that include: 
Managing Stress in Challenging Times; Susus: New Life for a Caribbean 
Grassroots Approach to Savings; Voices of Korean American Women; 
Substance Abuse Treatment Among English Speaking People of Caribbean 
Ancestry; The Importance of Culture in HIV/AIDS Prevention in Grenada 
(with Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen, Minister of Health and the 
Environment, Grenada, W.I.), and a forthcoming article ``Substance 
Abuse and AIDS: Intertwined Epidemics in the Caribbean region'' is 
nearing completion.
  Dr. Harris-Hastick has received numerous awards and citations for 
leadership and community service. A sought after speaker, Dr. Harris-
Hastick has made numerous presentations to student groups as well as 
local, national and international groups including business, academic, 
social work, civic and community organizations such as the National 
Conferences of NASW and NABSW, National Association of Meeting 
Planners, Asian American Studies Conference, Congressional Black Caucus 
Annual Legislative Conference, CACCI, and the Addiction Studies 
Institute. Dr. Harris-Hastick received a BA in Sociology/Anthropology 
from Queens College, a Masters in Social Work from Smith College, 
School for Social Work, and a Doctorate in Education from Columbia 
University.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is incumbent on this body to recognize 
the accomplishments of Dr. Eda Harris-Hastick as she offers her talents 
and services for the betterment of our local and global communities.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Eda Harris-Hastick's selfless service has 
continuously demonstrated a level of altruistic dedication that makes 
her most worthy of our recognition today.

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