OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Illinois are pleased to announce the most recent winners of the DAISY Award, which recognizes outstanding nursing care. Winners are nominated by patients and their families.

The January DAISY Award was presented to Melissa Squires from Metamora who works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She was nominated by Jessica Bradbury, mother of Raef and Blake Bradbury.

The February DAISY Award was presented to Carolyn McClain from Peoria Heights who works in the Obstetrics Acute unit. She was nominated by Rob and Stephanie Epperson, parents of patient Kylee Jo Epperson.

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center is the first hospital in the Midwest to participate in the DAISY Award, a national endeavor. The hospital receives approximately 180 DAISY nominations each month. From those nominations, a panel of five judges from the Professional Nursing Congress Recognition/Communication Committee at OSF Saint Francis chooses a monthly winner. Nurses who win a DAISY Award receive an award pin as well as a hand-carved Shona sculpture from Zimbabwe, an award certificate, a bouquet of daisies, cinnamon powder called “DAISY dust”, and cinnamon rolls for their entire unit.