Hazen, ND ‐ Nurses at Sakakawea Medical Center are being honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ®. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.
As a deserving recipient of the DAISY Award, nurses at Sakakawea Medical Center are acknowledged for their skill and especially compassionate care that exemplifies the kind of nurse that patients, their families, and staff recognize as an outstanding role model. He/she consistently meets all of the following criteria:
- Makes a special connection with the patient and family
- Includes patients and families in the planning of their care
- Does an excellent job educating patients and their families
- Provides consistent focus on meeting patient and family goals
- Works well with the healthcare team to meet patient and family needs/goals
- Makes patients and their families feel comfortable
- Goes above and beyond
- Shows commitment to patient care and the nursing profession
The DAISY Foundation is a not‐for‐profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick 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. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) 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.
Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by the hospital Board to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented during the year at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. Each Honoree receives a certificate commending him or her as an Extraordinary Nurse.
The certificate 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. Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch
, hand‐carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, President and Co‐Founder of The DAISY Foundation, When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first‐hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super‐human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Sakakawea Medical Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.
Said Director of Patient Care, Marcie Schulz We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.
This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation to express gratitude to the nursing profession. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence‐Based Practice Projects, The DAISY Faculty Award to honor inspiring faculty members in schools and colleges of nursing, and The DAISY in Training Award for nursing students. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
