AMERICUS — Nurses at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, and other Phoebe Putney Health System facilities, are being honored with The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize and honor the work  nurses perform every day.
The most recent award recipient is Laura Hanks, RN, who works in the Emergency Room. She was nominated by a fellow nurse for showing what a knowledgeable and caring individual she is, not only to the patients and families, but to other staff members. In the nomination, her fellow nurse wrote the following.
“On two separate accounts, Laura came to the recovery room to assist in transferring patients to another facility. She actually did all the paperwork, got reports and contacted the transfer staff. This allowed me the time to care for the patients. Laura stayed in recovery to ensure that the transfers went smoothly. Laura’s help is always much appreciated! She also helped keep family members updated as well.”
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes.  Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999, from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
Each quarter at PSMC, a nurse will be selected to receive The DAISY Award based on criteria established by the staff. At a presentation given in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients and visitors, the honoree will receive a certificate commending her or him for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.”The honoree will also be given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
One day while Barnes was in the hospital, he asked his family to bring him a Cinnabon® cinnamon roll plus enough for all the nurses in his unit. With the help of Cinnabon’s parent company, FOCUS Brands, The DAISY Foundation carries on this tradition by serving Cinnabons to all the nurses in the Award recipient’s unit in thanks for everything they do for their patients and families.