BCH Nurse Practice Council Recognizes Three New DAISY Award Recipients
On November 20, the BCH Nurse Practice Council (NPC) honored three new DAISY Award recipients for providing skilled and compassionate care to their patients. The NPC launched the DAISY Award program earlier this year to highlight the invaluable contributions our nursing staff makes every day at BCH. The NPC selects honorees that consistently demonstrate excellence by upholding BCH’s mission and values, ensuring that we deliver the highest quality care to our community.
Our DAISY Award honorees include:
Dianne Barnes, RN (ICU)
Nominated by an ICU patient
“Dianne is an exceptional nurse at BCH. She is incredibly special to me because she made me feel cared for while I was going through one of the most difficult times of my life…Dianne provided care for me that was above and beyond the typical duties of a busy ICU nurse. One night, she found time amidst her busy evening at work to give me a spa night, right there in my ICU room. The care Dianne provided was genuine; she was always gentle and kind and I appreciate her so very much. Thank you, Dianne! I’ll never forget the care you showed me.”
April Rizzo, RN (Boulder Community HomeCare)
Nominated by the family member of a HomeCare Patient
“April Rizzo was there for me and my family more than blood family was. She went way above and beyond her duty to make sure my dad most of all was taken care of. She called to check on him, she came to see him when he went into hospice, she came to our home to say her goodbyes, to pray for him and my family the day he died in my home. She wasn't just my dad's home nurse, she was my dad's friend and he loved her so much!!! We have made a lifelong friend in April and we are very thankful for her. I can't imagine any nurse in this world that would be more deserving than April.”
Laura Spalding, RN (Wound Healing Center)
Nominated by Ken Gordon, Wound Healing Center patient
“As a nurse, Laura Spalding is an extremely professional, knowledgeable, attentive, prepared, informative and diligent person. I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I have been by her outstanding service…she went far out of her way to be helpful and provide me with the best of care. In all my years of interacting with medical facilities, their doctors, nurses, and other medical providers, I have met less than a handful of people as extraordinary as Ms. Spalding! In short, she treated me not only as a valued patient, but as a human being.”
Dianne, April and Laura each received a stone sculpture, titled “The Healer’s Touch,” created by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe, an award certificate commending them as an “Extraordinary Nurse,” a signature lapel pin and a copy of their nomination submission letter.
November 14th, 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of the creation of The DAISY Foundation. The BCH NPC is proud to join over 3,900 health care organizations and schools of nursing in 23 countries committed to celebrating their nurses. The DAISY Award (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura. The exceptional nursing care Patrick and his family received inspired them to create this unique memorial and The DAISY Foundationas a way to say "thank you" to nurses in a very public way. For more information on the DAISY Award Foundation, visit DAISYFoundation.org.
Anyone can nominate a nurse for the DAISY Award – coworkers, physicians, patients, patient families, visitors, staff members and administrators. All BCH RNs, LPNs, and advanced practice nurses are eligible. To nominate a nurse, complete a submission form here.