Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/551105
1 4 | PULSE S u m m e r 2 0 1 5 I f you or a loved one has ever had to stay in a hospital, you may have felt that simply saying "thank you" to the nurses just doesn't seem to be enough to convey your gratitude. Mark and Bonnie Barnes felt that way and decided to create e DAISY Award program in 1999 to honor the memory of their son, Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) aer an eight-week hospitalization at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Affecting the Immune System.) ey had no idea the program would end up in more than 1,900 health care facilities in 50 states and 14 countries. e impact of the program on nurses and their organizations is deep, affecting nurses' job satisfaction, retention, teamwork, pride and more. In 2008 Maricarmen Luhrsen, RN, MSN, director of Magnet/patient experience at Torrance Memorial, met Mark and Bonnie Barnes at the National Magnet Conference. She was so inspired by their story that, upon her return home, she approached Pegg y Berwald, RN, MSN NEA-BC, Torrance Memorial's Senior Vice President, Patient Services/ CNO, with the request to implement the DAISY program at Torrance Memorial. "Of course I completely supported it," says Berwald. "It is my privilege and honor to read all the comments sent by patients, families, co-workers and physicians to recognize our outstanding and compassionate nurses. Reading them and honoring these recipients is the highlight of my career. What I am always amazed at is how humbled, embarrassed and grateful the recipients are, and how many of them say to me, 'I didn't do anything special. I was just doing my job.'" Each month, one nurse is awarded a DAISY award and presented with a statue. Patients and families can nominate nurses by filling out postage-paid postcards, which are available throughout the hospital. Below are recent DAISY award recipients and their nominating stories. (e identity of the nominators is kept anonymous.) Nakisha Purnell, RN: "is nurse was our nurse during the birth of our first baby. During the whole process she kept us informed and explained everything I was experiencing. She is such a calm, sweet, loving nurse that made my husband and I feel so comfortable going through this new experience. During labor our daughter's heart rate dropped, and the nurse came in so calmly and administered interventions to help our daughter recover. is could've been a scary situation for first-time parents if it wasn't for this nurse. Our daughter came so quickly that our regular obstetrician wasn't able to be present for the delivery. But my husband and I knew that we were in great hands with this nurse. She was so sweet; she even came to check on us the next day. is meant a lot to me and my husband. ank you for sharing the best day of my husband's and my life. ank you for ensuring that my daughter and I were safe throughout the whole process. ank you for being so kind to my husband and making him feel so involved and important. We will never forget you and are so grateful that you were our nurse. You are the best, and we know you will continue to touch the lives of so many families." Erika Deane, RN: "I am convinced NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] WHEN "THANK YOU" ISN'T ENOUGH PATIENTS HONOR TORRANCE MEMORIAL NURSES BY NOMINATING THEM FOR DAISY AWARDS. Left to right: Nakish Purnell, RN, Labor & Delivery; Erika Deane, RN, NICU; Lisa Palm-Alkadis, RN, Pediatrics; Julie Kuennen Block, RN, Home, Health & Hospice; Naiwei Hsu-Chang, RN, Burn ICU; Jimmy David, RN, Orthopedics.