Recognize a VA Nurse for Extraordinary Care: DAISY Awards come to the VA Maryland Health Care System
The Nursing Service kicked off the DAISY Award coming to the VA Maryland Health Care System on March 23. The DAISY Award, an international nurse-recognition program, was created to honor the care that nurses provide to patients and their families every day.
“The award can be given to any licensed, registered nurse at any of our inpatient facilities and community-based outpatient clinics,” said Patricia Davis, deputy chief nurse at the VA Maryland Heath Care System. “Veterans and their family members, nursing peers, staff and providers will be able to nominate nurses for a Daisy Award.”
A team of nurses helped organize the Daisy Award kickoff at VA Maryland.
The DAISY Foundation Award was established by the family of 33-year-old Patrick Barnes, a patient with the autoimmune disease Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP). During his eight-week hospitalization, Barnes and his family experienced the best of nursing, incredible kindness, and compassion that made a huge impact on them during their tough times. After Barnes died, the family created the foundation with the acronym DAISY, standing for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.
“The Barnes family stood up the DAISY Award in honor of Patrick,” said Davis, noting that it was the first program of its kind to give patients, families, and coworkers a way to express gratitude to nurses for providing patients with extraordinary care.
To date, the DAISY Award is in 39 countries and throughout many VA Medical Centers nationwide, with more than 210,000 nurses honored worldwide.
“We are happy for this award to be available at the VA Maryland Health Care System,” Davis said, noting that the DAISY Award is a key marker for nursing excellence in a medical center or health care system. “We are big on quality and ensuring that our care is appropriate.”
Both inpatients and outpatients at the VA Maryland Health Care System receive individualized care plans when they come into care. “We look to see how we can improve the quality of that patient’s life. We consider what they’re coming to the health care system for and how we can improve upon whatever their situation may be. We operate from everyone’s individualized plans to ensure when they leave our health care system, they leave in a good state,” Davis said.
Veterans and their families, staff, peers, providers who have experienced or witnessed extraordinary compassionate care delivered by a nurse can nominate candidates by emailing DaisyAwardsVAMHCS@va.gov.
For more information, visit the Daisy Award Website.