Extraordinary Nurse Leader Recognized at KCH

This beautiful sculpture is for you, too. It’s called The Healer’s Touch. What a perfect representation of the bond between nurses and their patients. In keeping with this tradition, a unique Healer’s Touch sculpture has been designated for Nurse Leaders. These sculptures are hand-carved by artists in Zimbabwe, and each piece is signed by one of the many Shona artists that The DAISY Foundation supports. As you may know, the economy and politics of Zimbabwe have been in turmoil for decades, and the artists are able to support hundreds of people in their families with this work. Please take 5 minutes and go to the DAISYFoundation.org website. You’ll find a video that two of the artists have made to show how they create these sculptures out of serpentine stone. We often say that nurses are reaching around the world and impacting the lives of these very special artists, and the artists are filled with gratitude to nurses.

One of the Pre-Surgical Screening nurses at Knox Community Hospital has been honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

The first DAISY Team award recipient is Helena Curry, RN. Helena has worked for KCH for 30 years. The following patient submission led to Helena’s nomination:
“I work in the Pre-Screening/ASU/HB Center Department. I was just about to finish my shift when I developed a fast heart rate. Helena said to go into one of the nurse’s rooms and she set me up to monitor my heartbeat… it was high and climbing. She immediately grabbed a wheel chair and calmly asked me to get in; she was taking me to the ER. All the while she was instructing me to bare down (to lower the heartbeat) on the way to the ER where she never left my side. She joined in with the others in the ER to get my heart stable by taking an EKG and assisting if they needed. She was willing to leave her post and stay with me until my family got there. Above and beyond the call the duty! Bless you, Helena!” -Teresa Baily, Out Patient Registrar
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. 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. 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.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses has been adopted by healthcare facilities around the world to celebrate nurses for their extraordinary care and compassion. The DAISY Team Award is for nurse-led teams of two or more who come together to solve a specific situation by going above and beyond. Nursing teams may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues and they are chosen by a committee of nurses at Knox Community Hospital to receive The DAISY Team Award. The DAISY Team Award is presented once each year at a surprise presentation. Each member of the Nursing Team receives a certificate commending them for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are and the incredibly meaningful difference your teamwork makes in the lives of so many people.” The Team also receives a specially engraved plaque engraved with the name of the Team.
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 work they do. The kind of work the nurses at [hospital] are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
Said Chief Nursing Officer Jim Middleton, RN, MSN, MBA, “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.”
For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, please go to http://DAISYfoundation.org
The DAISY Award and DAISY Team Award are initiatives of The DAISY Foundation in service 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.