Memorial Hospital of Chester held its inaugural DAISY Award® Ceremony on May 11, 2021. The five nurses nominated for the The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses were, Kim Fedderke, RN-ER; Brandy Hagene, RN-MSU; Amanda Johnson, LPN-RHC; Amy Mathis, RN-MSU; and Angie Schoenbeck, RN/Supervisor-MSU. Amy Mathis, RN at Memorial Hospital in Chester was honored with being recognized as the DAISY Award® recipient for the first half of 2021. 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 plans to hold an Award Ceremony two times a year to recognize their nurses who go above and beyond.
This first recipient of Memorial’s DAISY Award®, Amy Mathis, resides in Steeleville, IL and has been employed at Memorial for 5 years this coming August. She is celebrating her 20th year as an RN this year. Mathis received two nominations from her co-workers, which read,
“Amy is a true example of an exceptional nurse! Throughout the past year she has eagerly assisted wherever needed: COVID Isolation Unit, COVID Testing, COVID Vaccinations, assisting with patient scheduling for vaccines, screening stations, the COVID Hotline, and so many other duties while still performing her regular, daily nursing tasks. She does all of this with poise, compassion, and in a soothing, calming manner. She is eager to assist, learns new tasks/processes quickly and multi-tasks with fluidity and authority. She asks appropriate questions to make sure things are completed thoroughly but timely. She has the ability to see the whole picture and is able to problem solve to come up with solutions that save not only the patients' time, but her co-workers' time as well and eases the process for everyone involved. She expresses all of this, not only with her daily jobs and interactions with her staff, but with her patients and the community. Her compassion, attention to detail, and dedication to the entire working operations at Memorial Hospital and her teammates make her an ideal nomination for the DAISY Award. She is a shining example of a true team player that wants everyone to succeed in his or her roles. She is always ready to pitch in where needed. She goes above and beyond in anything she does, or is asked to do. She has been invaluable when helping this past year in the Infection Control Department and she is always a joy to work with.”
Mathis was surprised and honored to receive the DAISY Award®, she remarks, “I have felt that my calling in life, besides being a wife and mother, has been to be a nurse. I enjoy taking care of people!” Her favorite part of her positions is, “working with a wonderful team of professionals who want to see the very best for our patients. It’s a joy to then see those patients doing well in the community.”
The additional nominations submitted, included the following:
Kim Fedderke – submitted by a patient, “Kim is a very nice and attentive nurse. She is very friendly and saw to my every need. I really appreciated all that she did for me while I was at Memorial Hospital. Kim made my time at MH as enjoyable as possible.”
Amanda Johnson – submitted by a patient, “I was scheduled for a breast biopsy. Amanda called me from the clinic and explained everything after getting it all set up. She gave me step-by-step instructions and put me at ease. She calmed my nerves and was so knowledgeable in her explanations. She even offered a wonderful option to make things more comfortable after the procedure. Amanda is a great nurse and is fantastic at her job! I feel very at ease now.”
In response to her nomination, Amanda remarked, “I am honored to have been nominated for the DAISY Award®. I enjoy that everyone works together to take care of our patients.”
Angie Schoenbeck and Brandy Hagene shared a patient/family encounter that was very meaningful to the patient and their loved ones. A co-worker, on behalf of the family, submitted their nomination. “Recently the medical surgical unit had a patient that was from the nursing home; he also had COVID and was in isolation. As the patient began to deteriorate, he chose to not have any extraordinary efforts made to extend his life. This patient had not had physical contact, hugging or holding his family's hands since the beginning of the COVID pandemic back in March of 2020. Angie and Brandy identified that the patient was deteriorating and reached out to the family to see if they would like to come and see the patient. They went above and beyond to assure
that this patient was able to see his family, hold their hand and have comfort and closure. The nurses worked together to
orchestrate permission to visit and assisted with preparing the
family to be at the patient's bedside. The patient's wife continued to share with staff how grateful she was to hold her husband's hand and tell him she loved him. Both nurses were so kind in their interactions with the family, patiently answering questions and providing support. The nurses provided the patient and family with closure and comfort during the passing of the patient, and both are a prime example of going above and beyond for patients.”
Angie shared the following regarding her nomination, “Being a nurse is the most rewarding career. To be able to help others who are sick or injured gives me a feeling of worth. I am also very privileged to work with the most amazing people; we are like family. I love and enjoy working at Memorial Hospital in Chester.”
Brandy was honored to be nominated and shared the following remarks, “I really enjoy caring for the patients in our community. I am blessed to have such supportive and caring coworkers. I would like to say thank you to everyone for the nomination. It is a great honor!”
Nurses at all of Memorial Hospital’s locations, including the rural health clinics, can be nominated for the DAISY Award®. 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.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick 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.
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, CEO and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, "When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses at [hospital] are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.” For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, please go to http://DAISYfoundation.o
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.
Congratulations to each of you!