Two years have passed since the death of Araceli Buendia Ilagan, the first Jackson Health System nurse to die of COVID-19.
Celi, as she was affectionately known, was a nurse’s nurse. She took care of some of the most critically ill patients in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and mentored fellow nurses over the course of nearly 33 years at Jackson.
SEIU Local 1991 Executive Director Martha Baker shares a few words about Celi in this video recorded in 2020. We honor Celi’s memory and that of other SEIU 1991 members for their selfless work treating patients before falling to COVID-19.