Extraordinary Nurse Recognized at Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center
On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, Registered Nurse, Melisa Audia, of the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center was honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses.
The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.
Multiple nurses were nominated for the prestigious quarterly award. After a committee vote, Melisa Audia was selected as the July DAISY Award recipient. Her nominator, Mr. Timothy Palmer, was present at the award ceremony. Nurse Melisa had tears in her eyes as Dr. Piper Knight, Associate Director of Patient Care Services, read Mr. Palmer’s nomination, “I truly believe that Melisa Audia is a very special nurse. I whole heartedly believe that she probably saved my life because I had an appointment with her in Oncology on May 8th, 2024. She felt I needed an EKG and labs before the next series of treatment. I didn’t want to go. I thought I was okay with the little bit of chest pain I had been having. The nitroglycerin seemed to take care of it. I thought it was normal pain. She asked me to please go to the ER for the EKG and labs. I agreed to go. Melisa called the ER and had it set up for me to go. Long story short, the tests they ran showed I had a heart attack and the ER doctor felt I had a blockage. They stabilized me and kept me in the hospital overnight. Melisa came to my room the next morning to see me. An ambulance was called to take me to Pittsburgh VA for a heart cath. It was found that I had a heart attack and blockage. They put a stent in and did a balloon procedure. I had an open heart 5 by-pass surgery in 2001. I am so pleased with care that I have had at the VA, and I am still alive and doing fairly well after all these years because of caring people, doctors and nurses. Melisa is a prime example. I want to commend Melisa for her special nursing skills in not only seeing the need for a heart check, as well as how she handled the situation by remaining pleasant, happy, smiling, and genuinely sweet and caring. I truly appreciate that she helped me to get the help I didn’t know I really needed.”
Congratulations to Melisa and all the incredible nurses at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center who make it their mission to provide the best care to our nation’s heroes.