Memorial Hospital of Chester held its annual DAISY Award® Ceremony on December 13, 2022. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. Memorial joined the program in 2020 and holds an Award Ceremony annually to recognize their nurses who go above and beyond. For 2022, seventeen nurses were nominated for The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. From those nominees, a committee selected two recipients of this year’s awards. Valerie Blechle and Sarah Rathert, were honored with being recognized as the DAISY Award® recipients for 2022.
Members of the family of Patrick Barnes established the DAISY Foundation in 1999. He was 33 years old when he died of complications of the autoimmune disease ITP. Like many families we see every day who go through this kind of horrific loss, the Barnes family wanted to do something positive to honor the very special man Patrick was. Therefore, as they say, over a “liquid” dinner right after Pat’s death, they came up with DAISY – an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. As they brainstormed what The DAISY Foundation would actually do, they kept coming back to the one positive thing they held on to during Pat’s 8-week illness: the extraordinary care he and they received from Pat’s nurses. The family was very impressed by the clinical care Pat’s nurses provided, but what really overwhelmed them was the compassion and kindness that his nurses brought to Pat’s bedside day in and day out. The nurses’ sensitivity made a great difference in the Barnes’ experience and they wanted to say Thank You to nurses for the extraordinary care they provide patients and families every day. So, Pat’s family created The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses. What started out as a thank you from their family to nurses has grown into a meaningful recognition program embraced by thousands of healthcare organizations around the world. We are very proud to partner with DAISY as we have extraordinary nurses here at Memorial Hospital Chester.
The DAISY Award Winners
Valerie Blechle
Sarah Rathert
DAISY Award winners received a leather-bound certificate, a DAISY Award Honoree pin, a daisy, The Healer’s Touch sculpture, their names in the International DAISY Award Website, local recognition, and their names placed on the Recognizing Excellence wall at Memorial as a permanent legacy.
The Healers Touch Sculpture
This beautiful sculpture is called The Healer’s Touch, representing the bond between nurses and their patients. The sculptures are hand-carved, made of serpentine stone, and are signed by the Sona artist from Zimbabwe who created it. The economy and politics of Zimbabwe have been in turmoil for decades, however, through their work for DAISY, the Shona artists are able to support hundreds of people in their community. The DAISY Foundation feels that nurses are reaching around the world and impacting the lives of these very special artists, and the artists are filled with gratitude to nurses for this work.
Valerie Blechle, APN FNP-BC at the Rural Health Clinics, was born and raised in Chester, IL and still resides in the rural area with her husband Chris and their three children, Ellen, Adeline, and Max. She began her career as a Nursing Assistant in the early 90s while in nursing school at SIUE and has been employed at Memorial since. During her career she has worked in the medical surgical unit, emergency and obstetric departments, intensive care unit, and as a diabetes educator. She worked in the surgery department for 10 years before making the decision to return to school to obtain her Master’s Degree and become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She has since worked at the Rural Health Clinics as a Family Practice Nurse Practitioner since July 2014. Blechle received two nominations from her co-workers, which read:
“Valerie is an amazing nurse practitioner and co-worker. Patients always ask to be scheduled with Valerie as they appreciate that she takes her time, explains everything so they understand the plan of care, and is compassionate. She is a great advocate and makes sure that patients have all the tools/information they need. Valerie frequently goes out of her way to make sure that patients are taken care of by coming in early, staying late, working weekends, and assisting other providers with their work loads and paperwork. She jumps to assist wherever she is needed. Valerie is also very flexible and goes with the flow for any schedule or process changes. If Valerie is working, you can be sure she is giving 110%. She is quick to respond to staff when they have questions or need assistance. Valerie brings positive energy to the office every day!”
“Val is a joy to work with. Her caring nature makes her an asset to our patients. She takes her time with patients and follows up. She’s willing to do what needs to be done. She is one of the most reliable employees at RHC. She is willing to step up anytime she is asked to. She’s the first one here in the morning and the last one to leave in the evenings. I could go on and on about what a great NP that she is but, she is also a truly great person.”
Blechle was honored to receive this year’s DAISY Award. She enjoys working so close to home and likes the small, close-knit atmosphere. “It’s nice to know when you care for others, or have to receive care yourself, it’s from someone you know and respect.” She also enjoys the professional and friendly relationships she has with her co-workers, “They make coming to work a pleasant experience.” Her greatest joys in life come from the time she can spend with her family, her dog Louie, and the cat. She is thankful for the nominations from her co-workers and feels blessed every day to be able to work with wonderful people.
Sarah Rathert, RN at Memorial Hospital was also a recipient of the DIASY Award®. Rathert, has been a nurse at Memorial for three years. She enjoys the people the most. “I’ve gotten to know so many awesome coworkers. I know we have each other’s backs in sometimes difficult situations and everyone works as a team.” Her co-workers at Memorial feel like a second family. She is grateful for the knowledge she has received from all of the wonderful healthcare professionals she works with. During her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband Kody, children Skylar and Dawson, friends, dogs, and chickens. She received nominations by patients and their family members. One family even went to the effort of personally sending a letter of appreciation to the CEO, thanking the hospital for the exceptional care they received while in Sarah’s care.
“I would like to take this opportunity to send the DAISY Award to Sarah Rathert as the ER nurse. She was so nice and courteous while doing her job professionally. We want to take this time to thank and commend each and every one for your great employees and staff at Memorial Hospital, for doing such an amazing job and taking good care of the patients, being so kind, polite, and very skilled professionally.”
“Sarah was able to do my IV stick on the first try. She has a smile and personality to comfort me and was very gentle.”
Let’s talk about cinnamon rolls.
There are several reasons why the DAISY Foundation asks that cinnamon rolls be served at DAISY celebrations. First, when Pat was ill, he had lost his appetite until one morning when he asked for a bite of a cinnamon roll that his dad had brought for his own breakfast. Pat ended up eating the whole thing! As his family was leaving that evening, Pat asked that they bring him a cinnamon roll the next day and to be sure to bring in enough for all his nurses. Those cinnamon rolls were Pat’s ‘thank you’ to his nurses, and the Foundation wants all nurses to share in his favorite treat as a gift of gratitude. Secondly, nursing is a real ‘team sport,’ the cinnamon rolls serve to celebrate your team and give you an opportunity to stop for a few minutes and share something special together.
Finally, almost without exception, when a nurse receives The DAISY Award, the humble response is, “I didn’t do anything special. I was just doing my job.” What the DAISY Nurse may not realize, however, is that when nurses are “just doing their jobs,” they have such an important and meaningful impact on the lives of so many. “DAISY hopes that whenever you smell or taste a cinnamon roll or bake with cinnamon you will be reminded how special you are and the positive difference you are making in a patient’s and/or their family’s life,” explained Susan Diddlebock, CNO, during the presentation ceremony. “You are making the world a better place because you are a nurse, and The DAISY Foundation and Memorial Hospital Chester both salute you and honor you.”
DAISY Award Nominees
Alyssa Gibbs
Tamara DeSpain
Austin Gendron
Jessica Fleenor
Ashley Schroeder
Valerie Blechle
Joetta McFarland
Jennifer Morgan
Alicia Heinemeyer
Audrie Otten
Kaitlynn Smith
Paige Gendron
Jessie Rodewald
Sarah Rathert
Jerina Reese
Melody Prather
Kim Ruebke
Our DAISY Nominees were presented with a daisy, a pin, and certificate. While Patrick was ill, his stepmother Bonnie noticed the great tradition nurses have for pins. The DAISY Foundation hopes you will wear your pin proudly.
Kaitlynn Smith, RN at Memorial Hospital – Kaity is the recipient of a multi-nomination pin, as she has received previous nominations for the DAISY Award. This year she received two submissions, one by a supervisor and one by a patient,
“Recently on the MSU we had a COVID patient who was having a STEMI (heart attack with a completely blocked coronary artery), Kaity responded as part of the care team and initiated care for the patient from in the room. She was able to provide quick, efficient, and timely care while maintaining a calm demeanor and quickly establishing a relationship with the patient to decrease his stress. She provided support to the patient’s family, initiated and provided medication following the STEMI protocol for the transferring facility, and then assisted with seamless transfer to air ambulance support. Kaity’s depth of knowledge regarding the management of this type of patient allowed her too quickly and efficiently disposition the patient. The family was very grateful to the staff providing care and especially to Kaity for her calm bedside manner. Great job Kaity.”
“I nominate Kaity Smith, my trip to the ER with my son was one of the more emotional ones. As the mom of a very busy boy, he needed stitches. Your staff was fantastic getting it done in a safe, clean, fast, calm manner. Well done Kaity. Thank you”
Jerina Reese, RN at Memorial Hospital – Jerina is the recipient of a multi-nomination pin, as she has received previous nominations for the DAISY Award. Her nomination this year was submitted by a patient, “I was in convenient care due to nausea and vomiting. Jerina was one of the nurses who helped triage me. I am a breast-feeding mother and had brought along my pump and supplies. I was unfortunately prepared to pump and dump because I wasn’t sure if I should give my baby the ‘sick milk’ and because I felt so awful. I hadn’t been able to clean my pump parts since my last pump. When Jerina heard this, she immediately offered to take my breast pump parts and clean them for me. She also educated me on how important it was to feed the milk to my baby. Without her help, I would have wasted precious milk for my baby. She went above and beyond for me and my visit and I am very appreciative of that.”
Tamara Despain, Alyssa Gibbs, & Austin Gendron, RNs at Memorial Hospital – This team of nurses received a group nomination from a patient’s family. The family was thankful for all staff at Memorial but, they specifically wanted to recognize these extraordinary nurses. “My husband went to the Emergency room on Saturday and was thankfully admitted by early Sunday morning. He had been suffering from nausea and vomiting. He had been in and out of the hospitals for a month. I would like to thank Dr. Lee
and the emergency room nurses. Dr. Lee worked and got him admitted. I would like to thank Dr. Kirkpatrick and inpatient nurses as well. The nurses were amazing. He had been to another emergency room two days before this. Each day we spent many hours there. The doctors tried to get him admitted but the hospitalist refused since his labs were ok. They would give him care in the emergency room, release him and he would be back to nausea and vomiting by the time we got home. He would just keep suffering from this. On the 3rd day, we went to Memorial Hospital Chester Emergency where he received excellent care. He was then admitted with the same excellent care. He never seemed to get better until he was admitted with the fluids and meds going through the IV. Along with this and a GI cocktail which he was given by Memorial Hospital he got better and was released in 2 days. He is doing fantastic still today. I would give Memorial Hospital Chester 1000 stars for the care he received. If I could, I would give each and every Nurse and Doctor the DAISY Award. I can’t even put into words how thankful and grateful we are. When the emergency room nurse told me they were trying to get him admitted but no promises, I was so hoping. When Dr. Lee let us know that she got him admitted, I cried! I knew, now he would get the care and continue to get better. I could not have been more grateful. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.”
Audrie Otten, RN at Memorial Hospital – Audrie is the recipient of a multi-nomination pin, as she has received previous nominations for the DAISY Award. Here nomination this year was submitted by a supervisor. “Recently we had a patient on the MSU that was here as a COVID patient. He was on telemetry as well as continuous oxygen monitoring. As we were all working, taking additional assignments to cover the elevated census and staffing concerns, Audrie was assisting as nursing supervisor and ICU nurse. She noted a change in the patient’s telemetry strip, with an elevation of the ST segment. She further spoke with the patient, acquired an EKG, and ultimately identified the patient as having a STEMI (heart attack). She quickly engaged the care team, providers, and made calls to assist in getting the patient transferred to the Cath Lab at Missouri Baptist. The patient’s family was so grateful for the early identification, and quick work of the entire team to get the patient where he needed to be. Outstanding leadership Audrie.”
Alicia Heinemeyer, LPN at Memorial Hospital – Received a nomination from a supervisor, “I would like to nominate Alicia Heinemeyer as a DAISY nurse. During a recent episode of high census in the ER, Alicia demonstrated an outstanding ability to keep the ER moving along during a crisis situation that absorbed many staffing resources. She was able to continue to monitor the remaining patients and keep the flow of arriving patients assessed and accounted for. As the shift progressed on, the influx of patients became overwhelming and care was overflowed to the ASC (advancing surgical care) area. During that time, Alicia took the lesser acute patients to the ASC area, continued to monitor and provide care as well as assisted the emergency room provider in quickly dispositioning the patients out. Her organizational skills as well as her ‘get it done’ attitude assured safe, prompt care for the patients within the community. I witnessed her interactions with many of the patients. She provided specialized patient care; kept patients updated on the progress of their ER visit and spent time answering questions in an unrushed and caring manner. Alicia demonstrated the type of ‘can do’ spirit that Memorial Hospital continues to bring to the community. Well done Alicia.”
Jessie Rodewald, RN at Memorial Hospital – Received a nomination from a patient, “She was very understanding and took the time to listen to me. She explained every step to me to make me feel comfortable.”
Melody Prather, RN at Memorial Hospital – Received a nomination from a patient, “I was not feeling well, and Nurse Melody made the situation a lot less stressful. She was so kind and thoughtful and it was nice to see her familiar face.”
Ashley Schroeder, LPN at the Rural Health Clinics – Received a nomination from a patient, “Ashley is my favorite and sweetest nurse. When I am in the waiting room, she always has a pretty smile on her face and she is always concerned about how I am feeling. Any questions I have, she can always answer. She is the kind of girl I would want to have for a sister. She never complains and she is always so caring. She is very caring in every way. She is always in a good mood and she is very intelligent. I am always glad to see her. She always puts me in a good mood. I always look forward to seeing her. She is a wonderful and pretty nurse, and I love her. I would like to give her a hug sometime I’m there, but COVID gets in the way.”
Jennifer Morgan, RN at Memorial Hospital – Nominated by a patient, “Jennifer was very personable and kind. She made me feel very comfortable and explained everything to me as she was doing it. She was very professional. I am also a nurse but, she still took time to explain things knowing that I was stressed, tired, and not feeling well. She didn’t take for granted that I should just know. Yet she didn’t treat me like I was stupid either. She had just the right mix. I so appreciated her care that day. As a matter of fact, every staff member I came into contact with at your hospital was exceptional.”
Kim Ruebke, RN/ER Nurse Manager at Memorial Hospital – Nominated by a patient’s family , “Kim was very helpful with my father-in-law. She went above and beyond to help accommodate the entire family. My husband had COVID and she kept us informed and let us have a chance to visit before they transferred him to another hospital. She even inquired how he was after he had been transferred. Kim offered care and compassion to the entire family. I feel like Kim went above and beyond her nursing job by keeping in contact with the family.”
“Kim Ruebke, for taking time out of her schedule to stop by my room in the ER to say Hi and see how I was doing. It meant a lot to me.”
Jessica Fleenor, RN at Memorial Hospital – Submitted by a patient, “During my stay at the great Memorial Hospital of Chester, it was very successful. I had a very strong case of hypoglycemia. These extraordinary staff members treated me very excellent. I’m proud of these nurses. Several were great, but special thanks to Jessica Fleenor. Doctors and nurses treated me with great care and hospitality. I am very proud and appreciative of Memorial Hospital staff. Chester should be very proud of the local hospital’s great pride and loving care. 10 years ago Dr.Lowry saved me from double pneumonia 2 separate times. God Bless Memorial of Chester for their great success in human care.”
Joetta McFarland, Operating Room RN at Memorial Hospital – Nominated by a patient, “Jo – took care of me while I was due to have surgery. She was so nice to me and very helpful. I wasn’t suppose to eat but I did take a bite of something. I wasn’t thinking, I was already prepped up to have it done. When they found out I felt so bad, and was afraid, they would call it off, I felt so stupid, but they decided to put me at the end of the day and gave me something to help my stomach do what it needed to do. I cried because I felt so stupid and I should have realized. They had every right to be mad at me. I messed up everyone’s routine and made things so much harder on the nurse (Jo) and my doctor. But, they all were really nice to me, regardless I messed everything up. (Jo) kept stopping by, checking on me, and she made me feel better about my messing up. She was so nice and helpful. It meant a great deal to me, that she didn’t let my mess up, spoil her day or treatment to me. This awesome nurse is the kind we all need, full of compassion and understanding. You’re blessed to have her.”
Paige Gendron, RN at Memorial Hospital – Submitted by a patient, “Paige was very nice and helped me with my COVID test. I was very worried about it but she walked me through it. She went above and beyond.”
Thank you to the DAISY Committee, our nominators, our DAISIES, and all support staff! Nurses at all of Memorial Hospital’s locations, including the rural health clinics, can be nominated for the DAISY Award®. Each year, Memorial selects two recipients and recognizes all nominees. Patients, family members, and co-workers can request paper forms at any of our locations or visit our website at www.mhchester.com to nominate a nurse.
For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, please go to http://DAISYfoundation.org
In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 4,600 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants their new Health Equity Grant program. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.