Five St. Charles nurses honored for exceptional care

Five nurses from St. Charles Health System recently earned DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses, recognizing the outstanding, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. The nurses were recognized with a ceremony on their respective units and presented with a certificate, a pin and a "healer's touch" sculpture by their hospital’s chief nursing officer. The honorees are:

The nurses earning DAISY awards are:

• Brandi Bliss, a nurse who works with Information Technology as a clinical expert for our electronic health records, was recognized for how her “nursing expertise can transform technology into meaningful, life-saving tools” including her work on identifying possible measles patients and infection control.

• Brittany DeBels, a nurse with Pediatrics, was recognized for her emotional intelligence, deep empathy and excellent clinical care in particular during a recent adoption involving an infant in the NICU where she helped both the birth mother and the adoptive family with dignity and thoughtfulness.

• Leah Grim, a nurse at St. Charles Prineville, was honored for her thoughtfulness and commitment to her patients, in particular with a recent patient who was fearful after being admitted. Leah’s calm presence helped: “She has touched my heart in ways nobody has before," said the patient.

• Liz Ormonde, a nurse at St. Charles Madras, was honored for her compassion and dedication, specifically when she recently helped a child come up with a safe way to share a bouquet with their grandparent who was on strict infection protocols.

• Marti Sargent, a nurse at St. Charles Redmond, was honored for her patience, empathy and professionalism – in particular for her care of a young behavioral health patient in the Emergency Department where “her expert presence created a safe environment for everyone” and her tireless, hands-on approach provided a remarkably calm space for all.   

About the DAISY Awards:

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that was 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 their patients and patient families.

This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation to express gratitude to the nursing profession. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, The DAISY Faculty Award to honor inspiring faculty members in schools and colleges of nursing and The DAISY in Training Award for nursing students. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.