Alice Hyde launches DAISY Award for extraordinary nurses

The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
·2 min read

May 24—MALONE — Patients and families have a new way to recognize nurses at UVM Health Network — Alice Hyde Medical Center for the extraordinary, compassionate care they provide every day, as the hospital launched the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses Thursday, as part of its Health Care Week celebration.

"I see firsthand the work our nurses do, and I'm blown away by them every single day," said Rebecca Shutts, MBA, MSN, RN, Alice Hyde's Chief Nursing Officer.

"The DAISY Award will help us recognize the great care they provide, the way they support our patients, their families and each other, and the positive impact they have on patients and families while they are under our care."

RECOGNIZING IMPACT

The award — DAISY is an acronym for "Diseases Attacking the Immune System" — is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the tremendous impact nurses have on patients, colleagues and the communities they serve.

The non-profit organization is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died in 1999, at the age of 33 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 the family to create a unique way of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of patients and their families.

"When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night," Bonni Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation, said.

"Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the superhuman work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Alice Hyde Medical center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award."

NOMINATIONS

Patients, families and colleagues can nominate nurses at any Alice Hyde Medical Center facility — including the hospital's four off-campus health centers. Nomination forms are available in each clinical office, and a digital nomination form is available on the hospital's website.

Hard copy nomination forms can be mailed to Alice Hyde Medical Center, 133 Park St., Malone, NY 12953.

Awards will be presented quarterly to nurses by a committee of both clinical and non-clinical colleagues, and recipients will receive a certificate commending them as an "Extraordinary Nurse," a DAISY Award pin, and a hand-carved sculpture called "A Healer's Touch," created by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Alice Hyde will present its first DAISY Award in August.

"We are excited for this new opportunity to celebrate the expertise and compassion of our outstanding nurses," said Shutts, "and look forward to reading the great stories that our patients, families and employees will share about our nursing teams."

For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, visit The DAISY Foundation's website.