Westchester General Hospital kicked off the new year with a new way to recognize their outstanding nurses. In partnership with West Coast University, the hospital launched the well-known Daisy Award in appreciation of the hospital’s dedicated staff.
“We believe that nursing is something that comes from the heart and we are proud to be a part of honoring nurses for everything they do,” Elizabeth Cabrera-Sacchetti, WCU business development representative, said.
The DAISY award is a worldwide recognition program to honor the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System and the award honors the memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died from an auto-immune disease at the age of 33. During his eight-week hospital stay, his family was so impressed by the care and compassion his nurses provided that they created the DAISY Foundation and award in 1999.
“We have some of the most caring and compassionate nurses at our hospitals and we wanted to make sure that we said ‘thank you’ to them for their extraordinary work and dedication,” hospital CEO Gilda Baldwin said.
The distinction of being the hospital’s first Daisy Award winner goes to Juan Santiago, a registered nurse working at Westchester General Hospital’s Emergency Room. Juan received 14 nominations from his co-workers and supervisors and most mentioned his willingness to help, his teamwork attitude, and the kindness he displays to the patients.
“Nurse Juan has all of the characteristics of a team leader and he treats all of his patients and co-workers with respect,” his co-worker Henry said. “His main goals are always offering high-quality patient care and safety.”
Daisy Award honorees will be chosen quarterly based on nominations from supervisors, co-workers, fellow nurses, physicians, patients and/or their family members. The winner is selected by the nursing practice council based on five criteria: integrity, teamwork, advocacy, respect and excellence. All nominees receive a special Daisy Award lapel pin and the winner also receives a unique, hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, entitled “A Healer’s Touch.”
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
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