FAR ROCKAWAY, NY (May 10, 2007) - - - St. John’s Episcopal Hospital nurse Debra Friedland, RNC, was selected as the 2007 Nurse of Distinction citywide. The 1199SEIU Nurse of Distinction award program was established by the collective bargaining agreement between the 1199SEIU RN Division and the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes to recognize nurses who have made a difference in their profession. A joint committee of appointed 1199SEIU RN and League members oversees the program. The nurses were honored at a black-tie event held on Tuesday, May 8, 2007, at the Hilton New York. St. John’s also chose three additional nurses as who were also honored that evening. They were: Carolyn Blocker, RN, as Novice Nurse; Arlene Falconer-Hill, RN, as Nurse Leader; and Denise Streater, RN, as Nurse Preceptor.

“We are extremely proud that one of our own nurses was chosen for this citywide honor,” said Lynore Dupiton, RN, Vice President of Patient Care Services at St. John’s. “No one is more deserving than Debbie. Our Preceptor, Manager and Novice Nurses are also excellent practitioners and wonderful people.”

For Ms. Friedland, nursing was a second career but a lifelong ambition. After a stint on Wall Street and raising a family, she attended nursing school. Graduating in 1993, she began her career as a nurse at St. John’s and never left. “At St. John’s, they know how to work as a team,” she said.


Ms. Friedland has been an 1199 delegate for 12 years and for the past few years has served as the Hospital Contract Administrator. At the Hospital, she co-chairs both the Professional Practice Committee, which addresses professional nursing issues and patient care, and the Labor-Management Committee. She is active in 1199’s National Workplace Quality Committee and is a steering committee member of the New York State Nurses Alliance and a member of the National Nurse Alliance, which recently successfully lobbied for safe needle devices.
Described as a passionate person, Ms. Friedland cares deeply about two issues: mandatory nurse overtime and winning new staff-to-patient ratios on a federal level.
Carolyn Blocker, RN, the Hospital’s Novice Nurse of Distinction, became a nurse two years ago. As a nurse in the Hospital’s Cardiac Care Center, she has pursued additional training in cardiac rhythm interpretation. Although she is a novice nurse, she has impressed everyone with the depth of her knowledge. She is an active member of her church and union. She is also an active fundraiser for the New York City Falcons, a semi-professional football league, which includes a number of Far Rockaway participants.

Arlene Falconer-Hill, RN, MSN, is the Hospital’s Management Nurse of Distinction. Three years ago, she started at St. John’s as a manager in the Labor and Delivery Unit, where she was instrumental in the implementation of an electronic medical record system. As an Administrative Supervisor, she has shown excellent clinical managerial skills and communication skills.

Denise Streater, RN, was selected as Preceptor of Distinction for her accomplishments training both hemodialysis technicians and nurses. She became both a preceptor and mentor, and is the “go to” person in her unit. As a nurse for 17 years at St. John’s, she says that she “feels comfortable (at St. John’s), the location is great and the salary is wonderful. The people I work with are wonderful too.”