Nurses across MyMichigan Health were recently 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.
The nurses who received the award are Nathan Sloan, R.N., MyMichigan Medical Center West Branch, Amy Lott, R.N., MyMichigan Medical Center Alma; Mary Daleski, R.N., MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena; Becky Green, R.N., MyMichigan Medical Center Clare; Zachary Donovan, R.N., MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin; Mary Haley, R.N., MyMichigan Home Care Hospice; Jaye LaClair, R.N., MyMichigan Health Park Bay Emergency Department and Wrae Bate, R.N., MyMichigan Medical Center Midland.
The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation is a non-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. Barnes died at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. The care Barnes 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 families.
“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” said Bonnie Barnes, co-founder of the DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at MyMichigan Health are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”
Nurses are nominated for a DAISY Award by patients or their family members, fellow nurses, staff, volunteers, health care providers or other personnel. Recipients of the DAISY Award are chosen by a committee at MyMichigan Health to receive. Awards are presented twice a year, in November and May, at a celebration attended by the nurse’s colleagues and nominator. Each honoree receives a certificate commending them as an ‘Extraordinary Nurse,’ a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
“We are proud to be among the health care organizations participating in the DAISY Award program,” said Marissa Palmer, D.N.P., R.N., who currently serves as system vice president of nursing services-interim, MyMichigan Health. “Nurses go above and beyond every day. In fact, it’s the quiet moments of healing when the extraordinary compassion of a nurse shines brighter than any accolade. We’re so proud of all our nurses and it is important they know their work is highly valued. The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”
Those who would like to learn more about the DAISY Award, or who would like to nominate a nurse, may visit www.mymichigan.org/daisy.
MyMichigan Health, a non-profit health system headquartered in Midland, Michigan, serves 26 counties with Medical Centers in Alma, Alpena, Clare, Gladwin, Midland, Mt. Pleasant, Saginaw*, Sault Ste. Marie, Standish*, Tawas* and West Branch, and affiliations with Medical Centers in St. Ignace* and Mackinac Island.*
*Not affiliated with the University of Michigan Health System.
