Extraordinary Nurses Recognized at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONTEREY, Calif. — Nurses at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula will soon be honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®. The award recognizes nurses who provide extraordinary, compassionate nursing care every day. The new recognition program was announced to nursing staff at Community Hospital’s Nurses Day celebration on May 6 and 7. Each nurse attending the event received a planted daisy to mark the occasion.
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Barnes 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 Barnes 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 who provide direct care to patients and work at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula or Westland House, may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at Community Hospital. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, and loved ones. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an extraordinary nurse. The certificate reads: "In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people." Honorees also receive recognition on Community Hospital’s and the DAISY Foundation’s websites, a DAISY Award pin, and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
“We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes every day,” said Deborah Sober, chief nursing officer. “It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides one way for us to do that.” The DAISY Award program was announced on the same day that the Helen Baszucki Center for Nursing Excellence was launched, funded with a $6.5 million contribution from Paul Baszucki, in honor of his late wife. The center’s mission is to advance nursing excellence through initiatives including advanced educational opportunities, expansion of nursing training and leadership programs, scholarships for bachelor’s and advanced degrees in nursing, and an increase in the number of students in the Maurine Church Coburn School of Nursing at Monterey Peninsula College.
To nominate a nurse for the DAISY award, visit www.chomp.org/daisy. More information is available about the DAISY Foundation at http://DAISYfoundation.org
