The January 2014 DAISY Award was presented to Ryan Reliford from Metamora. He works in Medical Intensive Care Unit.
Her nomination (by the aunt of a patient) reads in part:
“My nephew suffered a catastrophic, life threatening event. It is truly a miracle he is alive and many people at OSF are responsible. He arrested while in the MICU with a nurse at his bedside. He underwent 27 minutes of CPR, was put in a hypothermic coma, received six units of blood, spent 10 days on a ventilator, and several weeks in rehab. He is now at home continuing physical therapy. Ryan was (my nephew’s) nurse and was also involved in (his) code. Ryan managed the many drips for his blood pressure during the hypothermic coma and his re-warming after 23 hours. After (my nephew) was re-warmed, Ryan thought his abdomen was slightly firmer. He alerted the residents (who) acted on Ryan’s cue. (My nephew) was sent for a CT scan which showed bleeding in his abdomen due to the anti-coagulants he was on. Ryan’s astute observation may have saved his life. We are so fortunate to have had nurses like Ryan involved in (my nephew’s) care. He was an extremely healthy 43-year-old when he suffered the pulmonary embolism. It is only by the grace of God and extremely competent nurses like Ryan that he is alive today. We cannot thank OSF and nurses like Ryan enough.”
The February 2014 DAISY Award was presented to Nicole Blessman from Edwards. She works in Neuro Intensive Care.
Her nomination (by the daughter of a patient) reads in part:
“My mom was in a car accident which further led to the discovery of a large tumor in her brain. We first felt fortunate to have her fate in the hands of Dr. Klopfenstein. When she was sent to the Neuro ICU she was lucky enough to have Nikki for a nurse. She answered any-and-all questions I had (which was sometimes a lot). She never made me feel rushed or put out when talking to her, it was like talking to a friend. That goes a long way when a family member has a serious enough issue to be in the Neuro ICU. Watching her take care of my mom, I felt 100% at ease coming and going knowing she was in phenomenal care. When knowing we felt bad leaving my mom, she assured us that it was a guilt free zone and it was OK to let them take care of my mom right now. That’s what they are they for and we should save our time for when she is home and needs help. She has the combination you would hope to find in every nurse. She is both extremely knowledgeable and highly compassionate.”
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.