Nurses at Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) will soon be honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ®. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. 

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, 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.

“Nursing has always been at the forefront of patient care 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year,” Jordan Colwell, BBGH Chief Nursing Officer, said. “Since becoming CNO, I have been looking for an award that spotlights our nurses’ extraordinary compassion for the patients and families we have the privilege of serving. The DAISY Award does this and I am excited to see our patients and family members pitch in and nominate one of our nurses that has shown high-quality, compassionate care.”

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues.  The award recipient will be chosen by a committee at BBGH. Awards will be presented twice a year at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. This year, BBGH will be kicking off the DAISY Awards by giving the award to one nurse.  

Each recipient of the DAISY AWARD receives a certificate commending her or him as an "Extraordinary Nurse."  They also receive a DAISY Award Honoree pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Each nurse that is nominated will receive a nominee pin, a thank you card, and a copy of their nomination.

Forms to nominate a BBGH nurse can be found on the BBGH website under the Patient & Visitors tab or around the hospital in the PCU, the Greater Nebraska Medical and Surgical Services (GNMSS) clinic waiting area, the ER, and the main entrance. Printed nomination forms can be turned in at the Patient Registration desks.

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in thousands of healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity, Nursing Ethics, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes. Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants and their new Health Equity Grant programs. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.