Greene County Medical Center is beginning a new recognition for exceptional patient care by its nurses, with the internatonally-known “DAISY” award to be twice each year. Nominations can be made by patients, their family members, caretakers, community members or co-workers.
In the first round of nominations, which closed Aug. 1, 13 nurses were nominated. The winner of the medical center’s first DAISY award will be named at a public ceremony Thursday, Aug. 21, at 10 am in the cafeteria.
Katie Heldt, chief nursing executive, was inspired by DAISY awards being given to nurses at other facilities and was determined to see Greene County Medical Center’s “extraordinary nurses” be recognized, too.
“We are looking for nurses who go above and beyond their normal daily routine or nurses who have made a specific impact on patient care,” said Robin Gunn, the DAISY award committee chairperson. “That’s just what patients and families are looking for, too.”
Nominees: The first-time list of nominees at Greene County Medical Center includes nurses from every area of the hospital. They are: Andrea Allbee, Desiree Monaghan and Kim Tasler, acute care; Sarah Borgeson, surgery/public health; Carol Christensen, Jeanne Hoening, Bev Morgan and Tammy Spaulding, long term care; Lori Herrick, emergency; Tina McCollom, surgery; Kristie Hurley and Jenny Taylor, medical center clinics; and Heather Wilson, Advanced Women’s Care.
At the Aug. 21 public ceremony, all 13 nominees will be recognized, the recommendations will be read, and then one winner will be announced. The DAISY Award winner will receive a certificate that reads, “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” The honoree will also receive a sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona tribe in Africa.
“This is going to be something the medical center does twice a year, and having 13 nominees in our first go around is incredibly exciting. The enthusiasm shows that there are a lot of great nurses at the medical center that our patients want to recognize,” Heldt said.
The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the “superhuman efforts nurses perform every day.” That foundation was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. He died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
In the past 15 years, the DAISY award recognitions have been started at more than 1,700 medical facilities worldwide, and thousands of nurses have been honored.
