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DAISY Awards

The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary compassionate and skillful care given by nurses every day. These nurses' clinical skills and especially compassionate care exemplify the kind of nurse that patients, their families and other staff recognize as an outstanding role model. They consistently demonstrate VA's core values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence (ICARE).

The DAISY Award main logo with a white daisy, and wording honoring the memory of J Patrick Barnes

What is the DAISY Foundation?

In 1999, at the age of 33, Patrick Barnes was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease ITP (immune thrombocytopenia). His family was fortunate to spend the eight weeks of Patrick’s hospitalization with him. During those weeks, they experienced the best of nursing. While they expected great clinical care, they did not expect the incredible kindness and compassion shown to Patrick and them every day, even when Patrick was completely sedated. It eased their minds, and the nurses' sensitivity to the situation made a great difference in the hospital experience. The nurses helped the family through the darkest hours of their lives with soft voices of comfort and strong, loving hugs.

After Patrick died, the Barnes' family knew they wanted to honor him, to somehow turn their grief into something that would help fill the giant hole in their hearts that Patrick’s passing had left. The family kept coming back to conversations about his nurses, and that’s when they decided to say “Thank You” for the gifts nurses give their patients and families every day, just as they had experienced.

Patrick’s wife, Tena, developed the acronym DAISY, which stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. Paperwork was filed to become a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses began at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance at the University of Washington Medical Center, where Patrick had been a patient. 

It was the first program of its kind to give patients, families, and co-workers a way to express their gratitude to nurses for what they became nurses to do - provide compassionate care to patients and their families. Since then, The DAISY Award® has become a strategic tool for nurse recruitment, retention, and resilience that has been adopted by thousands of healthcare organizations and schools of nursing in the U.S. and around the world.

Nominate an extraordinary Jonathan M. Wainwright VA health care nurse

Veterans, families, visitors, nurses, physicians and other employees may nominate a deserving nurse by filling out a DAISY Award form in these ways:

  • Pick up a nomination form which can be found in waiting areas throughout our facilities and submit it at any time to the address listed further below.
  • Place your completed nomination form in one of the DAISY nomination boxes.
  • Electronically submit a nomination form from the your computer or other electronic device. You can also access the electronic nomination site by typing this shortened URL into your preferred browser: tinyurl.com/JMW-Daisy-Award. 
  • Get a nomination mailed or emailed to you by contacting Christie Evanger at 509-525-5200, ext. 26509 or christie.evanger@va.gov.

DAISY Award lead/coordinator

For additional information or questions about this program, contact:

Christie Evanger, BSN, RN, NPD-BC
Nurse Recruiter
77 Wainwright Drive, Bldg. T-2
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Phone:  509-525-5200, ext. 26509
Email:  christie.evanger@va.gov

Small white daisy held in the palm of 2 hands

Congratulations to Jonathan M. Wainwright VA's DAISY Award winners!

Our program is new; winners will be announced here. Stay tuned!

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