Vida Kaplan, RN, of Sandyston, received the DAISY award for Hunterdon Health on Jan. 22.
The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the clinical skill and the compassion nurses provide to patients and families every day.
A patient wrote, “Vida was not only caring and encouraging but so informative during my first procedure. She helped calm my thoughts as well as made me feel comfortable during a difficult time. Vida made sure to let me know what to expect. After the procedure, Vida was there to help with the pain and make me feel more comfortable. Not only was Vida there during my recovery, but after a few weeks I developed some complications with my leg. Vida gave me her direct number so that I could ask her questions and let her know how I was doing. She knew I was a teacher and tried her best to accommodate my schedule and arrange for me to have ultrasounds very quickly.”
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon autoimmune 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 patients’ families.
Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation said, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses throughout Hunterdon Health are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses has been adopted by 3,500 health care facilities and schools of nursing in all 50 states and 21 other countries, committed to honoring their nurses for their extraordinary care and compassion. Individual nurses may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues and they are chosen by a Hunterdon Health committee.
“We are proud to be among the health care organizations participating in the DAISY Award program. 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,” said Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services, Mary Jo Loughlin, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Hunterdon Health.
DAISY Award recipients are presented with a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, a beautiful hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, and a spotlight page on The DAISY Foundation website, featuring a photo and telling the story of why this nurse was honored.
At each award presentation, all the nurses and staff in the recipient’s unit are treated to cinnamon rolls. The reason? Once, Patrick ate his father’s cinnamon roll when he was in the hospital without an appetite for food. He then requested one for the next day — and enough for all the nurses in the unit.
To nominate a nurse that works for Hunterdon Health or to learn more, visit www.hunterdonhealth.org/services/careers/nursing-careers/daisy-award.