Let's go DAISY
Exceptional nurses, respected healers
When Sharman Lamka’s husband, Philip, passed away in June 2005 after battling lung disease, she wanted to make sense of the loss and find a way to give back. She learned about a national program, the DAISY Awards, created to honor the compassionate care and hard work nurses do every day. Lamka brought the DAISY Awards to the Health System in January 2007 and currently sponsors the monthly award for extraordinary nurses like those who cared for her husband. She nominated the first recipient: David Caraballo, the R.N. who cared for her husband during his final days.
“One of the things that makes DAISY Awards so meaningful to nurses is that the winners are nominated by patients and family members who recognize and appreciate the nursing care they provide,” says Juanita Parry, R.N., director, Nursing Recruitment and Retention. “It’s an amazing experience to be the one nurse at U-M each month who receives the award, especially because the nominations were written at a very difficult time about someone who made a difference.”
DAISY Award recipients like Diane Setlock, R.N., of Vascular Access are surprised with an award presentation by Marge Calarco, Ph.D., R.N., senior associate director of Patient Care Services and chief of Nursing Services. In addition to an award certificate and pin, recipients receive a hand-carved sculpture from the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe, Africa. Titled “A Healer’s Touch,” the sculpture represents a profound respect for healers. Cinnabon is a partner of the DAISY Awards and provides free cinnamon rolls to the entire team, recognizing that great patient care is a team effort.
“We don’t promote the awards in any way,” Parry says. “Patients and families see the nomination forms and are touched enough by nursing care to fill
them out. It’s a testament to the excellent care our nurses provide.” |
