Hendrick Health adds news program to honor its extraordinary nurses

Hendrick Health is pleased to announce that it has recently joined the DAISY Award ® For Extraordinary Nurses program, which aims to recognize and honor the superhuman work that nurses do for patients and their family’s each day.

“We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program,” said Susan Greenwood, vice president and Chief Nursing Officer at Hendrick Health. “Nurses go above and beyond every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

DAISY recognizes nurses for their extraordinary acts of compassion and excellence in their work with patients, co-workers, families and the community.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) 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.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues, and is chosen by a committee at Hendrick. Awards are presented throughout the year. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her/him as an "Extraordinary Nurse,” a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

"When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, Doctor of Humane Letters (h c) and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Hendrick Health are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

Nominate a deserving Hendrick nurse at The DAISY Award.