Honoree Minerva Lopez (standing center) celebrates with NYU Langone Hospital– Brooklyn colleagues.
Strength, resilience, solidarity, advocacy, leadership, dedication, compassion and an unwavering commitment to excellence — these were among the qualities celebrated at the Federation of Nurses/UFT’s annual Nurse Recognition Awards.
The celebration, held May 14 at UFT headquarters, commemorated National Nurses Month and brought together about 300 members and their guests to honor 25 nurses whose colleagues nominated them for going “beyond the call of duty,” said UFT Vice President Anne Goldman, who heads the Federation of Nurses/UFT.
The awards came at a pivotal moment for the profession, as nurses navigate a health care landscape that increasingly values profit over patient care.
Union leaders highlighted a series of recent victories by the Federation of Nurses/UFT, including an on-time VNS Health contract in January that met all bargaining goals and a new contract at Staten Island University Hospital–South reached in March after a strike notice broke an impasse with Northwell Health. Leaders also pointed to members’ efforts to enforce safe-staffing requirements at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn, where nurses filed 8,000 grievances to compel compliance with mandated staffing ratios, setting a standard in New York and nationally.
For many honorees, advocacy and service were recurring themes.
NYU Langone nurse Mark-Anthony Williams, who received a Nurse Distinction Award, reflected on the responsibility that comes with caring for others, saying it is a privilege to “steward the lives of so many people.”
“At the heart of it all is I love what I do,” he said. “I love the opportunity to serve people.”
RN Advocate Award winner Darleen Pace, also of NYU Langone, underscored the importance of speaking up on behalf of patients and colleagues.
“Advocacy means speaking up when things just don’t feel right. Every voice raised for our patients and our staff has the power to make a difference,” she said.
Others were recognized for leadership and a willingness to challenge convention. Nicola Toney, a VNS Health visiting nurse and member of the negotiating team, received a Trailblazer Award. She said the distinction “is about having the courage to challenge the status quo, the persistence to advocate for excellence in care and the integrity to lead by example.”
VNS Health Chapter Leader Raquel Webb-Geddes, who recently completed her nursing doctorate, received the Outstanding Leadership Award. She credited her colleagues for inspiring her growth as a leader. “My chapter nurses push me to be better, to think deeper and to lead stronger,” she said.
Several awards also recognized perseverance and dedication. Cari Lamonica, an ICU nurse at Staten Island University Hospital–South, received a Hospital Nurse of the Year Award. After spending more than 12 years in other hospital positions, she entered nursing five years ago. Receiving the honor, she said, “makes me feel like I made the right decision.”
Union activism was another defining theme of the evening. SIUH–South nurse anesthetist Frank Furio, a negotiating committee member who received one of seven Union Service Awards, reflected on the difficult contract fight with Northwell Health.
“It was a tough year negotiating with Northwell,” he said. “But we just kept throwing back at them, organizing our people, getting our facts and just being relentless out there.”
UFT President Michael Mulgrew praised such endurance, commending nurses’ commitment to one another and their patients. “You understand what it means to do the work that you do, you understand what it means to stand by each other, to deal with constant stress and frustration and always be there on behalf of your patients.”
