October 2007 Daisy Award

EXTRAORDINARY NURSES RECOGNIZED AT BROWN COUNTY REGIONAL HEALTHCARE

Nurses at Brown County Regional HealthCare are being 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 everyday. The award recipient to be honored in October is Erica Kirk, a nurse who works in the Medical/Surgical Unit. Erica was nominated by one of her co-workers. In the nomination, was written: “Erica admitted a patient to the Medical/Surgical floor and within a few hours the Patient Care Assistant reported a low blood pressure. Erica responded and assessed immediately. The patient continued to show more signs and symptoms of deterioration. She responded quickly and implemented appropriate interventions. Eventually the patient was transferred to the Critical Care Unit. The daughter of the patient stated to “Thank the nurses for their care.” Her dad is now doing very well. 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. Each month, a nurse will be selected by Brown County Regional HealthCare Nursing Enhancement Team to receive The DAISY Award. In October Ms. Kirk received a certificate commending her for being 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." The honoree received a bouquet of daisies. She also receives a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch”, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa. Said Bonnie Barnes, Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, "When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide acutely ill 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 Brown County Regional HealthCare are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.” Said Chief Nursing Officer Adele Ducharme, “We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes everyday, and given the current national nursing shortage, The DAISY Award could not be launched at a better time. It is important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides one way for us to do that.” Brown County Regional HealthCare is among over 120 medical facilities currently honoring nurses with The DAISY Award. As of February, 2007, over 1,400 nurses had received the Award. This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation whose overall goal is to help fight diseases of the immune system. Additionally, DAISY has programs to help provide assistance to ITP support groups. More information is available on their website www.daisyfoundation.org. Pictured: Adele Ducharme, Chief Nursing Officer; Erica Kirk, Award Recipient; and Jackie Anderson, Nurse Manager Med/Surg, ICU.

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