Dr. Nelken Honored; Central Falls Women's Hall Of Fame Launched

CENTRAL FALLS, RI – The City of Central Falls marked International Women's Day by honoring a renowned local pediatrician and inducting three individuals into its brand-new Women's Hall of Fame.

The three inducted on March 11 at a City Hall ceremony were actor Viola Davis, a Central Falls native; the late Sandra Moreau, the city’s first councilwoman; and Mayor Maria Rivera, the city’s first woman mayor and Rhode Island’s first Latina mayor.

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"I know this is only the beginning for many more women, particularly women of color, rising to important roles and making a difference throughout our community and beyond. I hope we continue to challenge what’s possible together," Rivera said. "Tonight is monumental for Central Falls – for the women before us and the women who will come after us."

Rivera hailed Dr. Beata F. Nelken as a "healthcare hero" and presented her with a key to the city.
Nelken opened Jenks Park Pediatrics in February 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and right before Central Falls emerged as one of the top coronavirus hotspots in the Northeast. Nelken stepped up, providing free health care to children whose families could not afford to pay, conducting Spanish language outreach, and providing testing and vaccines.

L-R: Rep. Joshua Giraldo, Councilwoman Glendaliz Colon, Mayor Maria Rivera, Dr. Beata Nelken, Council President Jessica Vega, Councilwoman Adamaris Villar, Council President Pro Tempore Franklin Solano, Councilman Hugo Figueroa. Photo Credit: Sarah Dell/City of Central Falls

At the ceremony, State Rep. Joshua Giraldo read from a House of Representatives resolution honoring Nelken, noting her "tireless work ethic and enormous reservoir of compassion for the people of Central Falls."

"With an Abbott machine provided by the Rhode Island Department of Health, and a second Abbott machine and a one-hour PCR machine, Dr. Nelken and her staff literally spent time
standing on the sidewalk, offering people free COVID-19 tests," the resolution states.

The Central Falls Women's Hall of Fame will become a permanent gallery at City Hall.