CARIBOU, Maine — Cary Medical Center recently honored an emergency department nurse with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.
The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the superhuman efforts nurses perform every day.
Patients, families and colleagues may nominate nurses, and they are chosen by a team that is designated by the chief nursing officer to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented throughout the year. Each honoree receives 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.”
Honorees also receive a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
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 age 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 while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and their families.
One day while Barnes was in the hospital, he asked his family to bring him a Cinnabon cinnamon roll plus enough for all the nurses in his unit. With the help of Cinnabon’s franchise partners, The DAISY Foundation carries on this tradition by serving cinnamon rolls to all the nurses in the award recipient’s unit in thanks for everything they do for their patients and families.
“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 Cary Medical Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award,” said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation.
“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,” noted Chief Nursing Officer Paula Parent.
For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, as well as information on grants and faculty awards, please go to http://DAISYfoundation.org.
Submitted by the Community Relations and Development Office of Cary Medical Center.
