PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Nurses at The Aroostook Medical Center will have an opportunity to be recognized individually for outstanding service thanks to a national program through the DAISY Foundation in which the healthcare organization is now taking part.
The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day.
Leaders at the hospital recently launched a campaign for the The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses internally within TAMC and are now bringing the campaign to the public, so former patients and family members of patients can recognize someone who truly made a difference in care.
“We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in the DAISY Award program,” said Roland Joy, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at TAMC. “Nurses are heroes every day. It is important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and the DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. The care he and his family received from nurses inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patients’ families.
Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation, said, “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 TAMC are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
Patients, family of patients, or colleagues at TAMC may nominate nurses for the honor. All nominees will be recognized with a special DAISY pin they can affix to their badge. One honoree will be selected quarterly and will receive a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa, and a certificate commending her or him for being an extraordinary nurse. A celebration will be held annually to recognize the four honorees of the previous year.
Nominations can be made online at www.tamc.org by clicking on The DAISY Award banner ad at the top of the page. Brochures with a section for nominating a nurse are also available in the hospital’s main lobby, or to call 768-4301 to request one by mail.
“We know a nurse’s job is so much more than providing the technical skills a patient needs. They listen to and advocate for their patients; they calm the concerns of loved ones. Whether it be providing guidance to new parents or sitting by the bedside of someone with no family members, our nurses embrace the care of their patients,” said Joy. “Some nurses go even above and beyond the care patients expect. We want to hear about these stories and we want to honor these nurses.”
