Josh Cole, a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) at Hamilton Medical Center (HMC), recently received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The DAISY Award recognizes exemplary nursing excellence, and is the highest honor a nurse can receive at HMC. An award presentation reception was recently held.
Cole was nominated by a patient. The nomination mentioned that he is understanding, a good communicator, personal, professional and that he went out of his way to make the patient more comfortable.
“Josh is a kind and compassionate nurse,” said Brandy Salazar, Critical Care manager. “He maintains an easy-going and positive attitude. I have received multiple positive comments from patients and their families about Josh. They appreciate the time that he takes when he is at the bedside.”
The award, presented in collaboration with The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.
DAISY Award recipients receive an honorary DAISY pin, a banner to display on their unit, an award certificate, and the Healer’s Touch, a hand-carved sculpture by the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. The sculpture is especially meaningful because of the profound respect the Shona tribe gives to their traditional “healers.” A Shona healer is affectionately regarded as a treasure by those they are caring for which describes exactly how the DAISY Foundation and Hamilton feel about nurses.
Forty-three other nurses were also nominated for the award. They include: Kelsey Mitchell, Levi Barnette, Cheryl Mitchell, Maci Horne, Chris Satterfield, Amanda Cargal, Jamie Hall, Leigh Ann Smith, Shanna Ramage, Gina Hawkins, Stephanie Bergeron, Justin Bailey, Freddy Fairman, Shana Leonard, Jennifer Waldrop, Brittany Pratt, Scott Cavanaugh, Olivia Ridley, Amy Stafford, Kelli Marcus, Sara Evans, Jim Sanders, Donna Johnson, Sandra Killen, Stephanie Lowery, Stephanie Milton, Niki Gerber, Dawn Holbrook, Joy Holland, Yvette Forster, Beth Strawbridge Oana Tentea, Bayo Adeeko, Melanie Gregory, Rachel Manis, Melissa Eskew, Cassie Chamlee, Rachel Patterson, Tara Skiffen, Andrea Griffith, Molly Cooper, Allison Cartledge and Emily Phillips.
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 auto-immune disease. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.