GALION — Three registered nurses at Avita Health System are being honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

The award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize nurses for the extraordinary, compassionate care they provide patients and families every day. The Fall 2018 DAISY Award recipients are Sarah Jamieson of Galion Hospital, Ashley Kube of Bucyrus Hospital, and Autumn Bailey of Ontario Hospital.

These nurses have gone above and beyond to make a meaningful difference in the lives of so many people.

Jamieson earned her registered nursing (RN) degree a year ago and has already made an impact on patient care in Galion Hospital’s medical/surgical unit. In the nomination, it was said that she is “a very sweet nurse who took on every task with a calm and caring outlook.”

Kube has five years of nursing experience, including two in the medical/surgical unit at Bucyrus Hospital. She was nominated for the “care, kindness, and support” that she provides and for going out of her way to show patients “they are important.”

With more than 17years as an RN, including four years at Avita, Bailey was described as “an angel that had come to take care of my wife and probably saved her from having a stroke or maybe worse” in the Ontario Hospital emergency department. She was referred to as a “shining star” and an “exceptional person who has great compassion for what she is doing, as well as for her patients.”

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. 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. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem.) The care Patrick 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 patients and their families.

“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, President and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Avita Health System are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues by filling out a form online, at avitahealth.org, or at one of the three Avita hospital locations. The award recipients are anonymously chosen by a committee of Avita employees and community members. There is specific criteria and scoring for each nomination.

Awards are presented twice each year at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. At the award ceremonies, MJamieson, Kube, and Bailey received a certificate commending them for extraordinary nursing. Each honoree was pinned with a special DAISY Award Pin by Kay McDonald, member of the Board of Directors for Avita. They also received a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

“We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program,” said Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Durflinger. “Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that. Congratulations to our DAISY honorees. They are very deserving of the award!”