Karen Vassiliou

Karen Vassiliou | Legislator Kevin J. McCaffrey's Honoree

Karen Vassiliou is a resident of Lindenhurst Since 1976.  She is the proud mother of Katie, nineteen and Kyle, twenty two. Karen attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst, graduated Lindenhurst High School in 1989 and earned an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration at Farmingdale College. She had a passion to become a nurse so she furthered her education at Lewis A. Wilson Tech College and in 1993 graduated as a Licensed Practical Nurse. She then attended Suffolk Community College and received her Associate’s Degree as a Registered nurse in 1999. In 2016, Karen graduated from St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue with a Bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Karen started her professional career at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip in 1997 as a Licensed Practical Nurse and continued her career as a Registered Nurse on a cardiac telemetry unit up until this March. She had the opportunity to work on a neuro step down unit where she currently works with an amazing team. Karen is a member of the Professional Nurses Association of Suffolk County for fifteen years and presently sits as the chairperson of the nominating committee. 

During the pandemic, Good Samaritan Hospital converted the floor plans of many of the departments to Intensive Care Units to help accommodate the needs of the community. Karen tested positive for COVID-19 in March but after a short quarantine, this dedicated nurse was back to working her 12 hour shifts. Karen witnessed more colleagues getting sick and saw many patients succumb until the numbers dropped, and a more effective treatment was implemented. The hardest part to deal with were those on ventilators who were unable to see their loved ones. Karen was so touched by the outpouring of love and support from the community during this difficult time which motivated her to provide the best care to her patients. 

For these reasons, and many more we chose Karen Vassiliou to represent the 14th Legislative District as our 2021 Suffolk County Healthcare Hero.  Her professionalism and compassion before, during and after the pandemic made her an easy choice. It is clear that Karen exemplifies the true meaning of what a Healthcare Hero is and her value to our community. We are very proud of her!!!