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Harlem Hospital Center School of Nursing was established in 1923 as a nursing school to provide opportunities for African American women to become professional registered nurses who 

were refused admission into white nursing schools in New York City. 

There was pressure in 1921 to establish a nursing school at Harlem Hospital. As a result of the actions of a determined father, Mr. William Vassals, and his daughter, Lurline Vassals, along with the support from the Harlem community, Harlem Hospital Center School of Nursing was established.

 Lurline Vassals was among the first graduates of the Harlem Hospital Center School of Nursing in 1925. They not only instructed women of color but men and people of other ethnic backgrounds who graduated from this illustrious school.

Unfortunately, the school was closed in 1977 due to a  lack of funding and an inability

 to establish a relationship with a baccalaureate degree program.

The graduates of Harlem Hospital Center School of Nursing have contributed to the healthcare and wellness of underserved communities in America and throughout the world.