First Boone Memorial Hospital DAISY Award Honoree selected

May, 2021

Boone Memorial Hospital (BMH) kicked-off its DAISY Award program in January, 2021 and announced its first Honoree this month. The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died from complications of the auto-immune disease ITP in 1999. During his hospitalization, they deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown to Patrick and his entire family. When he died, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way.

"The DAISY Nurse Leader Award recognizes nurses who are extraordinary in the impact they have on compassionate patient care," said BMH Chief Nursing Officer, Terri Castle, BSN.

"I'm very pleased we now have a prestigious award at Boone Memorial to celebrate and recognize our amazing nurses."

Fourteen nominees were recognized during the BMH DAISY Award Ceremony, held on Thursday, May 13th:

*in alphabetical order

Sharelle Adkins, LPN - Inpatient Floor

Ben Bradley, RN - Emergency Department

Tracy Collins, RN - Inpatient Floor

Stephanie Farris, RN - Inpatient Floor

Kathy Hill, APRN, FNP-BC - BMH Education Department

Michelle Hill, LPN - BMH Medical Clinic

Brency Huffman, RN - Emergency Department

Shane Johnson, RN - Emergency Department

Brian Keith, RN - Emergency Department

Joey Kennedy, LPN - Inpatient Floor

Renee Matthews, RN - Inpatient Floor

Misty Meade, RN - Inpatient Floor

Teddy Strickland, LPN - Inpatient Floor

Sue Vance, RN - Inpatient Floor

BMH DAISY Award Selection Committee Chair, Ladie Viars, RN (Clinical Education) explains the award criteria.

"Any RN, LPN, or APRN is eligible to receive The DAISY Award. The winner, known as the Honoree, can be any nurse leader who impacts patient care directly including supervisors, managers, educators or nurses who specialize in case management, informatics or patient flow. We will give two awards annually and accept nominations year round," Viars explains.

The first Boone Memorial Hospital DAISY Award Honoree is Joey Kennedy, LPN. Joey works on the Inpatient Floor.

BMH Nursing Inpatient Floor Manager, Stu Haugen, RN said, "I couldn't be happier to have one of my nurses be the very first recipient of The DAISY Award at BMH. It is such an esteemed award, and Joey is an asset to our team and is a joy to work with. His care and compassion are evident, and we are proud, to say the least!"

The Boone Memorial Hospital DAISY Award Committee established the following criteria, to be used in the selection process:

D - DEDICATION

The nurse should demonstrate extraordinary clinical skills in the delivery of compassionate care.

A - ATTITUDE

The nurse should display a positive attitude, while demonstrating professionalism.

I - INSPIRATION

The nurse should inspire others to be passionate about their profession.

S - SELFLESSNESS

The nurse should display a sense of selflessness in the care they provide.

Y - YES WE CAN spirit

The nurse should have a YES WE CAN attitude and shed a positive light in all situations.

Viars commends Kennedy for striving daily to meet the BMH DAISY Award recipient criteria.

"Joey is such a phenomenal person and a very important part of our nursing team at BMH. His compassionate care for his patients, along with his dedication, excellent skills and professionalism is something we can all strive for in our own nursing practice. He is a joy to not only his patients but his coworkers as well."

Kennedy was nominated by a hospital provider, as well as a patient. A few excerpts from each follow:

PROVIDER NOMINATION:

"Joey's overall professionalism is well above most nurses I have worked with over the years. He shows compassion but is not a push over and is not afraid to tell a patient 'NO'. He is cool under some of the most extreme pressures.

Because of this particular situation, it put extreme stress on everyone involved. Some of the staff had to be calmed down, in that they had become ineffective. During this entire time, Joey maintained his professional demeanor and remained calm and helped the attending MD and myself (a PA) to keep the patient alive for well over an hour.

This is just one of the many examples of Joey's dedication to his profession and his patients."

PATIENT NOMINATION:

“Everybody was so good to me, but I feel Joey went that extra mile. Sometimes it’s the little things you remember most."

In a statement at the ceremony, Boone Memorial Chief Executive Officer, Virgil Underwood, spoke of the level of skill and care provided by BMH nurses.

"I've been overwhelmed by the expertise of our nurses. Not only the care they provide, but the way in which they provide it. I know it was difficult selecting one winner, from such a talented, caring group of nurses. However, I feel Joey is very deserving. He has demonstrated time and time again his ability to calm patients and coworkers, while remaining professional and keeping the needs of the patient at the forefront. We are lucky to have Joey and appreciate his work ethic and dedication," Underwood concluded.

To nominate a nurse for the DAISY Award, visit www.bmh.org/daisyaward

View The DAISY Award Ceremony PHOTO ALBUM