49.0°,
Fair A Long Island Jewish Christmas
Valley Stream hospital workers talk challenges of holidays
Working as a nurse in the emergency department at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream for the last 20 years has often meant that Christmas has come either early or late for Ann Marie Distanislao.
“When they were little, they said, ‘My, Santa Claus came before everyone else’s Santa Claus,’” Distanislao recalled of her children. “And I said, ‘Oh how lucky you are.’ So, we just made the best of it.”
Distanislao, of Franklin Square, said she has grown accustomed to working during Christmas and other holidays over the years, but this year she has the day off.
“It feels wonderful — I’m like a normal person,” she said with a laugh.
The hospital has enlisted a scheduling system that divides its employees into “A” and “B” staffs, which ensures that they will have major holidays off every other year.
When Distanislao does have to work, however, she noted that she and the rest of the staff bring in food to make the holiday feel special by sitting down and dining together. “We try and make the new nurses understand it and become part of it,” Distanislao said, adding that people come from different cultures so it’s a learning experience and a chance to try new foods.
In the past when Distanislao had to work on Christmas, she developed an efficient system — being sure to finish her shopping early and to plan out her family meals. It was difficult at first, she added, but now that her daughter is 25 and her son is 15, they understand.
On Christmas, hospital staff members try to keep a pleasant mood throughout the day, Distanislao said, but hospitals can often bring about sadness, especially around the holidays. Through the years, she's witnessed many young people suffer from cardiac arrest during the holiday season, and she remembers one patient falling off of a roof when trying to hang Christmas lights.
Though the inside of a hospital can be bleak at times, Distanislao said the staff keeps the atmosphere cheerful for patients. “Some people don’t have a home to go to,” she said. “And they come for friendship, and we make it festive for them.”
Elsewhere in the hospital, Maria Prochilo is scheduled to work this Christmas. She’s worked at Long Island Jewish for nearly three decades as a medical laboratory technologist, conducting blood tests.
Prochilo grew up in Valley Stream and now lives in Point Lookout, and she has a hectic couple of days leading up to her 6 a.m. shift on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, she plans to entertain 17 guests, after which she said, “Let’s see if I can get up.” Then, after her shift the next day, she will drive to Connecticut with her husband to see her stepson.
Though Prochilo’s not used to working on Christmas, she commented that her dedication to her job and her drive to help people have kept her from being upset about it. “It’s all about patient care,” she said. “And that’s what we’re here for, to take care of them. The hospital never closes, and these poor people that have to come in here on Christmas — we’re just gonna do the best we can for them.”
Working on holidays can be a challenge across all cultures and faiths. Monika Pal, who has worked in the hospital for eight years as a phlebotomist — drawing blood from patients — said she works nearly every Christmas.
Pal, of New Hyde Park, was born in India, and although she observes Christmas, her religion’s biggest holiday is Diwali — the Hindu festival of lights. On Diwali night, people dress up in new clothes or their best outfits, light up lamps and take part in family prayers. Pal is accustomed to working on the holiday.
“Since I’m in the medical field, that’s the way I am,” she said.
This Christmas, Pal will work from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. She added that she thinks the hospital’s current system for alternating holidays off is fair and flexible.
“I’m a satisfied person,” Pal said. “So I can just celebrate another day. When you’re happy, every day is a celebration.”
