Sayville resident Joan Furey was honored on May 5^th ,2022 at Stony Brook University’s School of Nursing’s 50^th Anniversary Gala.  Joan was presented with the School of Nursing’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for Lifetime Achievement in Nursing.  A 1967 graduated of the Pilgrim State Hospital School of Nursing, Joan served with the Army Nurse Corp from 1968 to 1970, including a one-year tour at the 71^st Evacuation Hospital in Pleiku, Vietnam, where she was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Achievement.  Upon her discharge from the Army, Joan applied to the newly established Stony Brook University School of Nursing to study for her Bachelor of Science Degree, which she received in May of 1972, one of 25 students in their first graduating class.  Today, Stony Brook’s School of Nursing is nationally recognized as one of the top 10 Schools of Nursing in the United States, offering degree programs ranging from the BSN to PHD’s in nursing, in a variety of clinical and academic specialties. 

Joan, Past Post Commander of Sayville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 433, was recognized for her accomplishments during her 30-year career with the Department of Veterans Affairs.  During that time, she was directly involved in developing and implementing a variety of programs designed to address the needs of both male and female veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder related to military service, including combat, combat casualty care and sexual trauma. She was also appointed as the founding Director of VA’s Center for Women Veterans  in Washington DC, where she was charged with improving VA’s services to women.  Upon her retirement she was received VA’s prestigious Distinguished Career Award; and in 2015 she received the New York State Senate Women of Distinction Award and was inducted into the New York State Veterans’ Hall of Fame by then State Senator Tom Croci.