Memorial Hospital is a very proud partner with The DAISY Foundation to honor our extraordinary nurses.
The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by the family of Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at 33 from complications of the autoimmune disease ITP. During his hospitalization, the family was very impressed by the clinical care of the nurses who cared for Pat. So much that they created a foundation to thank nurses which, has grown to be international. This is their way of saying thank you to nurses for the extraordinary care they provide patients and families every day. DAISY is an acronym standing for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.
On December 14, Memorial held a reception to honor DAISY Award recipients for the 2nd half of 2023. Our nominees, for the second half of 2023, were presented with a pin and certificate. The nominees were: Kimberly Fedderke, RN; Amy Kirkland, RN; Paige Gendron, RN; Dylan Dungan, LPN; Tabatha Colvis, LPN; Alicia Heinemeyer, LPN; and Erin Whelan, LPN.
Memorial Hospital’s Daisy Award Honoree for the second half of 2023 is Ashlee Nanney, LPN. Ashlee, was nominated by a supervisor in regards to an email received by a patient, for her extraordinary comfort, care, and compassion to her patient. She received a handcarved, DAISY statue, certificate, and pin.
During the ceremony, Susan Diddlebock, Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial, expressed her gratitude to staff following the reading of nominations. “Thank you to our nurses and staff for your commitment to healing here at Memorial Hospital. We hope that you will wear your DAISY pins proudly.”
Anyone can nominate a nurse for a DAISY Award. Nominations can be done at any time by paper or electronically at www.mhchester.com/DAISY-nominations.
Ashlee Nanney, LPN
"I received an email from a patient Ashlee had taken care of. This is what they had to say:
I wanted to let you know what a great nurse Ashlee Nanney is. She was my nurse for a procedure I had 2 weeks ago. I was a little apprehensive about my post op, but she took the time to explain everything that would happen and what to expect. She was very attentive. She told me that her daughter had the same procedure and tips and tricks they had to make her more comfortable during her recovery. She answered all my questions and addressed all of my concerns. She spent a lot of time making sure I was comfortable. She did a really great job! I just wanted to pass on some compliments because far too often we hear complaints instead of compliments. Thanks for all the great care."
"As a manager, it is rewarding to receive an email like this. I personally have witnessed Ashlee’s fantastic bedside manner and care to her patients. For that reason, I am submitting Ashlee as a recipient of the Daisy Award."
Ashlee has worked at Memorial Hospital for 2 years as an LPN in the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC). When asked what she like most about her job she said she enjoys meeting new people and listening to their stories about their lives. "There are so many interesting people in the community," exclaimed Ashlee. "I'm grateful to work at a facility with so many other extraordinary nurses!"
Tabatha Colvis, LPN
"Tabatha Colvis is a very caring nurse. She has even brought in her scissors from home and has given several patients haircuts and trimmed beards. One patient’s wife asked if she could cut her hair and she did. Tabatha goes the extra mile for her patients."
Dylan Dungan, LPN
"Sometime in May I believe, I came into the ER with very high blood pressure that wouldn’t go down. I sat there for 3 hours wanting to go home but Dr. Rafati and staff would not let me go because I was at stroke risk. Dylan was very fast and efficient and waited on me and even got me something to eat, even when the kitchen was closed. Dr. Rafati and Dylan were very informative and reassuring that they would take care of this. Dylan is excellent. He is a very fast and friendly male nurse. P.S. The whole entire staff was great that day too."
Kim Fedderke, RN
"She treated me with patience and kindness even though I was a grumpy guy. I was discharged and a bit combative but she looked beyond that and treated me like I mattered."
Paige Gendron, RN
"I have worked in the ER for several years now and I have overheard Paige talking with a number of people, some of who were not very kind. But Paige can go in a room and be so kind and understanding. The way she calms a person is unbelievable. A lot of times, Paige can calm a person when no one else can. She is so kind, not only is she kind to patients, she is kind to all the employees as well. Paige is a one of a kind nurse and we should be very happy to have her."
Alicia Heinemeyer, RN
"My 89 year old uncle had hearing difficulties. I took him to convenient care at Chester Hospital. Our nurse was Alicia Heinemeyer. She was absolutely wonderful with him. She explained everything about what she was doing with him, so I nominate her for the Daisy Award."
"I was in a lot of pain and she was so understanding and very helpful. A pleasant attitude that you don’t always come across. She is definitely an assent to your hospital. Thanks so very much."
"She made my 6 year old daughter feel way less scared. She explained everything in terms my daughter could understand and even gave her a big hug when she was crying. Thank you Ms Alicia for being awesome."
Amy Kirkland, RN
"My friend had just had a mastectomy and was vomiting frequently. We had explained to one nurse that a combination of medicines had helped the last time she had surgery so she didn't vomit. That nurse had tried but could not find it in the past medical record. Another nurse checked and couldn’t find it either. In comes Amy…..she heard her vomiting and came in to check on her. I explained that we couldn’t remember what combination of medicine was but it had helped so much and we really needed it again. Amy researched her old records and found it. It helped and we were so thankful."
Erin Whelan, LPN
"My cousin, who had been in the hospital for many weeks was not looking forward to going out of the house after being discharged, based on our many phone conversations. She was especially not looking forward to her follow up doctor visit. I spoke to her before she left for the visit and she sounded very depressed. As soon as her appointment was over, she didn’t even wait to get home before she called me to tell me how it went. Her first words to me had nothing to do with herself or what the doctor had said to her. She was ranting and raving about this nurse she met at the clinic that had seen her first. My cousin said felt so comfortable with this nurse after telling her about the anxiety she was having going to this appointment. In my cousins words…….Nurse Erin was so professional and caring, knowledgeable, compassionate and with a great sense of humor and said it calmed her down so much. My cousin now looks forward to her appointments."
