Rutland Regional Nurses & OR Team Honored with 2024 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses

High resolution images available here: https://photos.rrmc.org/2024-Daisy-Award-Winners-Media

RUTLAND, VT – Recently, Rutland Regional Medical Center’s Nursing Excellence Team honored two nurses and the Operating Room team with the Daisy Award for extraordinary nurses. The ceremony took place in the hospital’s CVPS/Leahy Community Health Education Center with nurse leaders and nursing staff.

The DAISY (an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation was started in Glen Allen, CA by family members of J. Patrick Barnes, who died from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. As a way of thanking Barnes’ nurses, his family established the award program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses everywhere perform every day.

Throughout the year, nurses at Rutland Regional are nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. All nominations are thoroughly reviewed by the Nursing Shared Governance Council. During Nurses Week in May, nurses from Progressive Care and Psychiatric Care received DAISY awards. The DAISY Team Award went to members of the Operating Room Team.

DAISY Team Award: The Operating Room (OR) Team was honored with this year’s DAISY Team Award. The Team Award is provided annually in recognition of a care team, led by a nurse, that has gone above and beyond the traditional role of nursing to provide extraordinary patient care. The award recognizes that collaboration and teamwork are key to providing patients with high-quality care and a positive experience. Many members of the OR team were present to receive this recognition. The nomination highlighted the superior service and heroic surgery that led to a successful outcome. “The staff were entrusted by leadership and their peers to assess the situation, plan a comprehensive approach, and then act upon that plan to deliver exemplary care. The teamwork demonstrated throughout the process was conducted with care and integrity ensuring this positive patient outcome.”

DAISY Individual Award Honorees are selected and recognized for the extraordinary compassionate care that they provide to patients in their practice environment.

Lindsay LaFerriere, BSN, RN, Psychiatric Services Inpatient Unit (PSIU): Lindsay was nominated by a patient for her kind and compassionate care. In her nomination, the patient shared, “Lindsay advocated for me. She checked on me every day. She sat in my room and talked/listened to me with empathy. This bad situation quickly turned into a great healing stay all because she listened.”

Cassie Harnett, BSN, RN, Progressive Care Unit: Cassie was nominated by a patient’s family member for her empathy, understanding and kindness. Her nomination form stated, “Cassie listened to and absorbed my family drama without judgement. I was reassured that my dad would be taken care of and made as comfortable as possible. Cassie’s gentle, confident demeanor put me at ease and was the biggest comfort to my wounded heart.”