Upon her retirement in 1979, the Foundation’s corporate headquarters was designated the Veronica M. Driscoll Center for Nursing. 

Dr. Driscoll was a 1948 graduate of St. Catherine’s Hospital School of Nursing in Brooklyn. She went on to receive a Baccalaureate degree from St. John’s University, a Masters’ degree in guidance and personnel administration from New York University, and a Doctoral degree from Teachers College, Columbia University.

After holding a various nursing positions at St. Catherine’s Hospital, Dr. Driscoll joined the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) staff in 1960 in its Counseling and Placement program. In 1969 she became the Executive Director of NYSNA, a position she held until her retirement in 1979. In 1975 she also became Executive Director of the newly formed Foundation of NYSNA. In the course of her career at NYSNA, she helped New York nurses attain higher salaries, employment benefits, and improved practice environments. As Executive Director of NYSNA, she advocated and promoted the collective bargaining power of nurses to shape legislative action and their status as professional nurses. She was active in the 1972 revision of New York State’s Nurse Practice Act—this definition of nursing stands to this day—and in developing A Blueprint for the Education of Nurses in New York State, which pushed for a mandatory baccalaureate degree for professional nursing practice and an associate degree for general nursing practice.

Click here for directions to the Foundation of New York State Nurses.