Senior Vice President of Nursing and Patient Services at Mercy Hospital Claudia DiStrito has been selected as the recipient of the Florida Organization of Nurse Executives 2006 Leadership Award.
The Leadership Award recognizes an exemplary individual in administrative healthcare who serves as an example for all nurse leaders and whose accomplishments and challenges as a nurse leader are to be admired.
A true advocate of nursing and its critical importance in a clinical environment, DiStrito has been a key force in Mercys growth. She directed the expansion of The Mercy School of Practical Nursing, as well as executed strategies to fill all nursing positions within Mercy Hospital. DiStrito was also instrumental is the establishment of the Sister Emmanuel Hospital for Continuing Care, the only hospital within a hospital in Florida. Additionally, through her work with Florida International University, she was a key player in the establishment of the unlicensed Foreign Physician to BSN program.
