Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital ICU nurse Jacqueline “Lee” Johnson, BSN, RN, WCC, was recognized for her outstanding patient care as the hospital’s first DAISY Award recipient.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was created by the National DAISY Foundation to recognize “outstanding clinical skill, personal acts of kindness and compassion to patients and families.”
The daughter of a patient in the ICU nominated Johnson for the award because of the consideration and respect Johnson showed her mother and for keeping the family informed. A Riverside committee from across disciplines chose Johnson to win the award from the many nominations. The nominations were presented without identifying information so that the choice was impartial.
“The DAISY award is the peRiverside Foundationect way to recognize our nurses because it reflects the same values as our Riverside Care Difference of safety, healing, kindness, and respect,” said Deborah Brown, MBA, BSN, Nurse Executive at RSMH. “We know it’s not enough to strive for clinical excellence, we must also focus on the emotional needs of the patient and family.”
“It means so much to be part of a patient’s journey,” said Johnson. “It’s an honor to be recognized, and I hope to always portray the characteristics that the award entails.” Johnson has been a part of Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital for the last 16 years. She began as a nurse extern while completing nursing school and received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Radford University.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation was formed in 1999 by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes of Texas, who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an autoimmune disease. The family was inspired by the exceptional, compassionate care they received from nurses and wanted a way to recognize all nurses for making such a deep and meaningful impact to the lives of patients and their families.
“We had to find a way to say thank for what nurses do every day. It’s the compassion and kindness that makes all the difference in the patient’s experience,” said Bonnie Barnes, DAISY Foundation Co-Founder. “We wanted a way for these stories of extraordinary compassion and skill to be celebrated in a very public, happy way,” she added. Hospitals around the country, including Riverside hospitals, use the DAISY Foundation’s recognition platform to honor the exceptional nurses in their organizations.
As a DAISY award recipient, Johnson received special recognition at the hospital and on the national DAISY Foundation’s website. Because Cinnabons were a favorite of Barnes, the Foundation encourages selection committees to treat their winners with cinnamon doughnuts; Johnson received cinnamon treats from a local bakery. Johnson also received a hand-carved “Healer’s Touch” stone statue.
Nominations can be submitted by patients, their family members and visitors, or Riverside team members, and are accepted throughout the year. A winner will be chosen each quarter from the nominations of the past three months.