Job Ad Specifying ‘No Haitians’ Causes Uproar

An advertisement for a nursing position has created a storm of outrage over one of its job criteria — no Haitians.

The ad, in the Oct. 15 print New City edition of the weekly Pennysaver, said Interim Healthcare Inc. was looking for a female nurse for a job in West Haverstraw, in Rockland County. It said: “Laid back nurse, no Haitians” and required that candidates also have state certifications.

Interim, an in-home nursing provider, issued a statement from President Kalthleen McNally saying the ad is “totally unacceptable and is offensive to us.” She said a review would be conducted to look at what happened and make sure that it didn’t happen again.

“Please accept our sincere apology. In particular, we apologize to the entire Haitian community,” McNally said.

The Pennysaver Group said Monday that the ad was published by mistake and without “proper editing protocol” and has since been removed.

“We deeply apologize to our readers and the Haitian community,” the company’s chairman and chief operating officer said.

The Haitian American Nurses Association of Greater New York said it was appalled by the ad.

Rockland County Majority Leader Aron Wieder called on the state’s attorney general to investigate.

“Once again in Rockland County, we are seeing intolerance and discrimination rearing its ugly head,” Wieder said. “This ad is eerily similar to the signs posted in stores decades ago reading, ‘Irish need not apply.’ It was unacceptable then, and it is abominable to see this in print in 2015.”

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the October 20th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.