On May 7, 2024, Memorial Hospital of Chester held a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses recognition ceremony. 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 care for Pat. So much so that they created a foundation to thank nurses that have 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.
Nominees, for the second half of 2024, were presented with a pin and certificate. The nominees were: Emily Colvis, LPN at the Rural Health Clinics and Memorial Hospital Wound Clinic; Tamara Despain, Medical Surgical Unit RN; Maribeth Golding, RN House Supervisor at Memorial Hospital; Greg Griffith, Medical Surgical Unit LPN; Grace Knop, Medical Surgical Unit RN; and Angie Schoenbeck, RN House Supervisor at Memorial Hospital.
Memorial Hospital’s Daisy Award Honoree for the first half of 2024 is Emily Colvis. Emily received four nominations from her co-workers, supervisor, and a patient. All four submissions commended her for going above and beyond, putting her patients first, and providing compassionate care while remaining calm and focused. Emily has worked at Memorial for 2 years. Upon receiving the award she expressed her gratitude, "Receiving this award further inspires me to continue my passion as a nurse. I am reminded that the smallest acts of kindness and caring have the biggest impact and taking the extra moment during a busy day with patients makes a difference. This recognition will forever leave an impression on me throughout my career. I will do my best to continue to try and make differences." She stated that she enjoys working with some of the best nurses, doctors, and admission receptionists. "I feel like most of the people I work with are family and that we do anything we can to be present and there when we need each other. I'm truly grateful to work for this establishment."
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.
DAISY Award Recipient
Emily Colvis - "Emily goes above and beyond for her patients. She spends extra time with them to make sure they are comfortable and understand what is going on. She goes the extra mile to make sure her patients have what they want and need. Emily can make a not so happy patient smile and laugh when no one else can."
"Emily is an outstanding nurse. She goes above and beyond for patients. She has gone out of her way to get things that patients have needed at Walmart or Amazon. She even delivered compression socks to a patient’s house that has a hard time getting around. Emily loves her patients and is always one to step in when someone needs anything."
"One week prior to my visit at Chester Clinic, I got burned very badly on my stomach and legs. I saw Dr. Kirkpatrick for my burns and he referred me to the Wound Center where I met Emily. Emily was in charge of changing my dressing. Emily was very patient, professional, and a breath of fresh air. Emily made me feel at ease and comfortable. Emily was very gentle and cared about the fact that I was in a lot of pain. She explained step by step what she was doing and what I needed to do. She made sure I had everything I needed for my dressing changes at home. She was a breath of fresh air and I am glad she was the one that took care of me. I don’t know how much she gets paid but it’s clearly not enough. She was wonderful and very professional. I am very pleased. Kudos to Dr. Kirkpatrick for having such a wonderful nurse on his staff."
"Emily received a very distraught call from an elderly patient with concerns of her own safety in her home. Emily stayed very calm while notifying another nurse to call and have an officer go to the patient’s home for a wellness check. Emily was very patient and kept the patient calm, even though the patient’s husband was yelling and making threats in the background. Emily was on the phone for 40 minutes until there was an officer with patient and she was sure the patient was safe."
DAISY Award Nominations
Tamara Despain - "It is hard to just pick a few nurses that deserve to be nominated, so many of the staff were great. RN Tamara is one of those. During my 2 weeks of staying with my aunt at the hospital, Tamara was wonderful with my aunt. She took time and found things to make my aunt comfortable when she was unable to tell us what was hurting. Tamara gently and genuinely tried to make my aunt's few remaining days have quality and be comfortable. Tamara offered comfort and kind words to us and made a horrible situation less painful for our family. Tamara not only provided excellent care but was seen teaching less experienced nurses with patience and grace. Her smile and sweet interactions with my aunt allowed me the time to process the hard decisions I had to make. I could tell Tamara had a beautiful soul and an abundance of caring for others. Her kind words, knowledge, and encouragement made all the difference to me and my loved one. In a world of so much despair, a spark of humility and kindness makes an impossible situation a little better. Tamara is the role model other nurses should strive to be."
Maribeth Golding - "I would like to nominate Maribeth Golding for the Daisy Award. I have never heard this awesome nurse tell another staff member no or “I do not have time” when asked if she could help with something. Most of the time, we do not have to ask at all, she is always 3 steps ahead, jumping up immediately if a call light goes off. She is the definition of a nurse and a leader in my eyes. When she is supervisor, her strong confident character, incredible work ethic, impressive skill set, and positive attitude is so reassuring to staff because they know they will have a smooth shift, even if at times it can get very busy. She will not let anyone sink, or a patient be unsafe. She has all the above attributes, but in addition she is also very compassionate to patients and families. I have witnessed her perform CPR to the extent of exhaustion, console the family when we were unable to save him/her, and then tearfully go right back to doing what she does best…..setting the example to all nurses watching her what a true rock star really is."
Greg Griffith - "During the 2 weeks I stayed with my aunt when she was hospitalized, I encountered many great staff members. I would like to share my observations and interactions I had with Greg. My aunt was especially hard of hearing and he would make the extra effort to explain things to her and listen to what she had to say. Greg was so friendly and caring. No matter how busy things got, he never allowed anyone to feel unheard or too hurried to comfort my aunt. Even minor requests for more ice, Tylenol, a warm blanket, another pillow or a recliner chair was done right away. His exchanges with my aunt were comforting. She responded positively and I know she looked forward to the nights he worked. He would come in to take vitals during the night and unlike some nurses, he wouldn’t turn the lights on and be loud. He used his pen light and tried not to disturb her or myself while sleeping. Greg’s interactions were spot on with her and us. It truly made things bearable. He worked great with the CNA Brian, they worked together like a well-oiled machine. They were attentive to my aunt but also to my family staying at the hospital. My aunt loved being taken care of by them and it showed how much they love taking care of patients."
Grace Knop - "Thanks so much for being a 'super nurse' when I was recently seen in the ER. You were very kind and caring to me. God bless you."
Angie Schoenbeck - "When my family member was hospitalized and I had learned of how she had been neglected at her own home, I struggled with many emotions. I was heartbroken for her. I was angry. I felt guilty that I had not protected her and overall sadness as I came to the realization I would need to do what was best for her and that was to tell her goodbye, that she is loved beyond measure, and let her go to a place where pain is never felt again. RN Angie was so kind. She gave us words of encouragement, support, sound information and outpouring of love. Angie's love for patients comes out so effortlessly. It is evident she goes above and beyond and this work is not just a paycheck for her. Often it is not just the patients that need healing, but the family of the patients’ needs too. Even if it is just a smile, kind words, or asking if anything is needed, Angie exemplifies what a healthcare professional should be."