ECHN’s Quarterly DAISY Award Recipient: Beth Ferenz
This quarter’s DAISY Award Recipient is Beth Ferenz. Beth has been working at ECHN for over two years a Registered Nurse on the MMH 2East Nursing Unit. One of Beth’s colleagues nominated her for a DAISY award, and the nomination spoke of Beth’s compassion and kindness when caring for her patients many of whom are oncology patients.
Beth’s colleague wrote about her observation of Beth’s compassion and support during a patients’ hospital stay. Beth’s nomination included, “Beth is a quiet nurse who goes above and beyond and truly shows exceptional compassion, respect, communication and caring to all of her patients”.
Beth was recently honored at a surprise ceremony at MMH with many of her colleagues’ present. Beth was extremely surprised. Beth received a certificate proclaiming her as an “Extraordinary Nurse”, a DAISY award pin and a unique, hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, entitled “A Healer’s Touch”.
Congratulations Beth!
ABOUT the DAISY Award
D.A.I.S.Y is the acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The DAISY Foundation was formed in November 1999, by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The nursing care Patrick received when hospitalized profoundly touched his family. The family felt they and Patrick experienced the best of Nursing. Not only did they witness expert clinical skill for a very complex medical situation, but it was the kindness and compassion that the staff showed to Patrick and his family every day. The following is a quote from the DAISY Foundation website, (https://www.daisyfoundation.org); “We were awed by the way the nurses touched him and spoke with him, even when he was on a ventilator and totally sedated. The way they informed and educated us eased our minds. They truly helped us through the darkest hours of our lives, with soft voices of hope and strong loving hugs that to this day, we still feel”.
After Patrick’s death, the family created the DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses. Their goal was to “ensure that nurses know how deserving they are of our society’s profound respect for the education, training, brainpower, and skill they put into their work and especially for the caring with which they deliver their care”.
Nominations can be submitted by patients and families and those experiences submitted are reflective of an excellent patient and family experience. The foundation cites, “The nomination stories are rich in data that can describe what is important to patients, their families and others who encounter great, compassionate nursing care. By honoring extraordinary acts of compassion, recognition can positively influence the patient’s perception of their experience”.
The quarterly Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) DAISY award program is for Manchester Memorial Hospital, Rockville General Hospital, Visiting Nurse & Health Services of CT and Woodlake at Tolland staff registered nurses. We are fortunate to have nurses such as Beth Ferenz.
