DAISY Award Past Winners - Hospital

John Yu, RN

Daisy Award Winner, January 2024

From the nomination . . .

I am an RN in the MICU who has been relieved by John Yu the day shift RN. During this week, John Yu and I have had a patient who is extremely anxious, agitated, and has Echolalia (which is a type of aphasia where the patient repeats words and phrase repetitively). This patient can not communicate their needs or wants. Although, throughout this week John Yu has showed extraordinary compassion for this patient and has found multiple ways to calm down and comfort this patient. One of the ways John has comforted this patient is by trying music therapy as a soothing technique, which actually worked. John used his personal speaker to test out the theory, and once he knew it helped the patient. He left after report/ hand off, clocked out, went to Walmart, and bought this patient a personally speaker to help her and brought it back back to the hospital all after his 12 hour shift. When he brought the speaker to the patient he told the patient it was a birthday gift since the patients birthday was the next day. He is the type of nurse that tries everything in his power to provide comfort and compassion for his patients. He also D/C her restraints to see if it would decrease agitation and it did. Before, this patient did not sleep, follow commands, or communicate in anyway except for repetitive screaming until John Yu. Now this patient will follow commands, respond to questions, and expresses wants/needs. John Yu deserves this award more then any other nurse I know.

Tiara Hughes, RN

Daisy Award Winner, September 2023

From the nomination . . .

We had an elderly patient with dementia who was admitted just for placement. She gets very confused and agitated at times. She loves to walk in the hall and try to leave. She needs a lot of redirecting. However, she is the sweetest lady when she is calm. Last night she got very agitated and kicked a nurse and they put her in restraints. First thing Tiara did was get her out of restraints. The patient loves to fold towels and has folded all of her blankets in her room. Tiara went to the gift shop and bought a baby and went to the Mother Baby Unit and got a baby blanket and wrapped the baby up. She asked the patient to babysit for her. She was in the bed holding the baby and said she would feed her. Tiara named the baby and put her name on the whiteboard so the patient would not forget it and wrote the time on the board that she needed to feed the baby. Tiara has been so calm with her. She does not argue with her when the patient says something. You cannot argue with a dementia patient. She goes along with whatever the patient says which is the best thing. The patient is so happy with her baby doll and this had made her content. She also bought her a baby bottle and put Kerlix in it to represent milk and the patient feed the baby. These actions were very creative and she was thinking outside of the box rather than tying a patient to the bed. She was communicating with heart. This past weekend she put the patient in a wheelchair and took her outside to the “garden” and she loved it. There is something about getting that fresh sunshine that comforts you. Tiara could have easily left her in restraints and not worried about it. Her caring and compassionate heart would not allow her to do that. She wants what is best and that makes a world of difference. Will this patient ever remember what Tiara did for her? Probably not, but that’s not why she did it. This is the kind of compassionate care that shows that she has put the patient first and to that she tailored her care around the mental status of the patient.

Rebecca Frederick, RN

Daisy Award Winner, July 2023

From the nomination . . .

I have the pleasure of being a Social Worker on 3 South where Becca is a nurse. Last week there was an elder patient whose wife was coming and going from the hospital. This patient's wife was needing an Uber ride, which the patient set up for her. When it was time for the Uber to come, it was raining outside. Becca was worried that even though the Uber was set up by the patient, his wife may be overwhelmed about getting downstairs and into the Uber. Becca went downstairs to find the patient's wife to ensure that she safely got into the Uber and to the hospital. Then she reported back to the patient that his wife safely made it to the Uber. It was not Becca's responsibility to walk down to make sure this patient's wife got into the Uber, but she felt empathy for her and wanted to ensure that she was safe. Becca deserves a Daisy for going above and beyond for this patient. Peace of mind is everything, and she provided that to the patient and showed the wife that UMC is full of people who care.

Peggy Sims, RN

Daisy Award Winner, March 2023

From the nomination . . .

On the night of January 24th, Peggy was pulled from her original assignment of 2 West to go to 5 Wiser. She took a patient from each nurse on 5 Wiser that night. One of those patients was a young woman that had experienced some major traumatic events since the delivery of her baby on 12/29/22. When Peggy first met this patient she was upset, angry, and weary. Peggy spent a good deal of time assuring the patient that she was indeed going to have a good and peaceful night. Peggy gave her the plan for the shift and encouraged her to do as much for herself as possible. That it would certainly help her healing and getting back to her new baby and life. As the shift continued, Peggy made sure that the patient's needs were met in a timely manner. She encouraged and encouraged her for doing tasks on her own with very minimal assistance. She hugged Peggy the next morning when the day shift nurse was making bedside rounds and really thanked her for being kind and caring. Peggy also spoke with the provider that morning to let her know that she was very concerned for the patient's mental wellness as she had not seen her baby since birth. Her family was unable to come and stay during her hospitalization due to work and other obligations, this caused her to feel all alone.
She also had a lot of medical concerns that were weighing heavy on her. Peggy wanted her to have some medications to help with her panic attacks as well as for psych to see her for depression. Also, if someone could help getting her baby here and her other child so she could just see them, that would lift her spirits. As I am writing this, I can not help by thinking about our Communicate with Heart class. Empathy and compassion are what Peggy showed this patient. She spent a ton of time gaining the patient's trust. Peggy told me when we were talking that she really felt that it was a God thing that her assignment was changed so that she could take care of that particular patient. I just wanted to share this example of compassionate care and give Peggy a huge shout-out for being a huge patient advocate and for having the patient's overall well-being as a priority. Peggy, you my dear, you are a ROCKSTAR!!

Brelan Gardner, RN

Daisy Award Winner, January 2023

From the nomination . . .

On October 30, Brelan was taking care of a very sick patient in our unit. The family had been called in to be with the patient as he was not expected to survive the day. When the family arrived, the decision was made to withdraw care and provide comfort measures to help ease the patient's passing. Prior to beginning the process of withdrawal, the patient's father requested a clergyperson to come to the bedside. It was vitally important to them both as a family and as members of the Catholic church that this patient receive his Last Rites. Brelan understood their concerns and went above and beyond to fulfill his patient and family's wishes. As this was a Sunday evening, there was no clergy person in house or on-call. During the previous shift, Brelan had a different patient in the exact same room. Brelan formed a relationship with a family member of that previous patient, who just happened to be a clergyperson. Upon hearing that there was no one available to come to speak with and pray for the patient, Brelan searched the hospital for his former patient with hope that the clergy member was visiting at the time. In true miracle fashion, he found the patient AND the family member. She gladly agreed to come and pray with the family so that they may have some comfort during this difficult time. If not for both Brelan this family's wishes would not have been met. Brelan not only took care of this patient physically, but he was able to address the family's expectations by seeking out clergy and satisfying the spiritual and emotional needs of this patient. We are so proud to have Brelan as a part of our CVICU Family!

Charlene Usry, RN

Daisy Award Winner, November 2022

From the nomination . . .

To only have been a nurse for two years, you would never know it. She is a rare gem that deserves to be recognized for her true passion for patient care.

She came to 4Wiser as a relief RN and has been filling in as a charge when needed. There was a need on the other rotation, and she agreed to work opposite the other charge. She recognized the need for consistency in that role to complete all of the necessary daily tasks. Every day she is here, she goes into the rooms to check for extra equipment and pillows and brings them to the desk, cleans them, and stores them for future use. We have been working hard to prevent CLABSIs on 4Wiser. She goes around to every room and checks lines and dressings on all patients. She makes sure all of the whiteboards are updated. She collects any extra equipment and takes it into the supply room so it will be ready when other staff needs it. She has worked as many as 9-10 shifts in a row because there was a need. She never complains about the schedule and is very good about swapping days when needed. She is flexible and adaptable. Even though she is a relief RN, she offered to work a 5/2 split opposite the other charge nurse so that both rotations would have consistent charge nurses. Even though she is usually a day nurse, she agreed to help out nights a couple of shifts so that we would not be short.

Yesterday we had a very violent patient. He has continued to hit and kick staff. In fact, she has a huge bruise on her side from where he punched her. He was very aggressive, and the wife got upset. When I was about to walk in the room, the wife was in the hallway curled in Charlene's arms. She was visibly upset and crying. Charlene comforted and talked to her and convinced her that she needed to go home to get some rest and let us care for him. Some people would be angry and not want to take the patient again.... not Charlene. She still took the patient because she knew this patient was not in his right mind and would not have intentionally kicked her.

She runs errands for other staff. She functions as a tech when only one tech is on the unit. She will look all over the hospital for supplies if we do not have something on the unit. One day we were missing a bedside table. She "found" one on a floor that was closed and brought it back to the unit until our new one came in and then returned it to its rightful location.

This past week we had a very young patient who found out unexpectedly that he has a brain tumor, and this news has devastated the mother. She fell apart in the room, and Charlene embraced her, took the mother into the break room, and held her while she broke down. When I was rounding today, the mother told me what an angel Charlene is and how she was there for her on one of her worst days, and she started crying again. Later in their stay, the patient asked for an egg crate, which is not something we usually carry on the unit. Before I could call around and see where we could get one, Charlene showed up on the unit with an egg crate that she "found." The patient cried when she put it on the bed because he said it was so comfortable. She buys food and other items with her own money for the patients when needed. Of course, she does not tell anybody about this, so it's not like she does it for glory. She does it because she has a passion for people and a heart full of gold. Sometimes we have Spanish-speaking patients, and she always interprets for them. She is fluent in Spanish and is such a great resource when needed. Not a day goes by that I do not see her helping someone. She is a great teacher, fair, and non-judgemental. She is very good with patients and families. She listens to both sides but is non-confrontational about it.

Samantha Mack, RN

Daisy Award Winner, September 2022

From the nomination . . .

Sammie had been caring for an oncology patient for months. This family was Spanish speaking only. Sammie studied and learned how to communicate with this family in Spanish. When they received the devastating news that her diagnosis was terminal, Sammie knew that this family would not be able to afford a funeral for their child. She rallied together and anonymously raised enough money to cover the cost of a funeral. She provided the funds to the family. They were forever thankful. The patient passed away on a day that Sammie was not at work. Sammie came to work on a holiday to perform post-mortem care on this child and stayed and comforted the family for hours. This is just one example of how Sammie always goes above and beyond. Sammie displays compassionate care for all of her patients. She deserves to be a DAISY winner.

Margaret Gilpatrick, RN

Daisy Award Winner, January 2022

From the nomination . . .

In August, during the peak of our cases with the Delta Variant, we had a patient who was intubated with COVID. She had not been doing well, and the nurses became very invested with her care (as they do with all their patients). We knew the patient would not make it through the night and Margaret did not want her to be alone when she passed away, so she gowned up,  masked up, gloved up, and placed her helmet on. She pulled up a chair next to her bed and held her hands during her final hour of life.  There was not a dry eye in the unit. In what seemed like a war zone surrounding us, our hearts were melted in that moment witnessing the reason we all chose to be a nurse. This is one of MANY small ways all of our nurses in the CVICU have shown love, compassion, and commitment to our amazing community during this crisis. Our nurses are not recognized near enough for all the daisies they deserve on a daily basis. Their care goes above any other hospital I've seen in the Jackson metro.

Rebecca Rylander, RN

Daisy Award Winner, September 2021

From the nomination . . .

Ms. Rebecca took such good care of my husband. She was his nurse the day he was sent to the floor from the CICU. On our second day in her care, my husbands condition began to worsen. His doctors decided he needed to go back to the CICU. The wait to have him transferred took longer than expected and it went into the next shift. Rebecca was supposed to get off at 7. I was a nervous wreck after they took my husband back to ICU and Rebecca (even though it was way past shift change) came in his room just to check on me, make sure I was ok help me gather his things. She even helped me calm down because I was pretty upset. She also helped me carry his belongings down to my car and then she walked with me back to the CICU because the doctors were going to let me see him before having to leave the hospital again. Rebecca made sure I was ok before she left, even though it was late, and not her responsibility. I wasn't her patient, my husband was, and she still made sure I was taken care of. My husband was in the CICU on the vent for over a week and when we got sent back to a regular room, I was happy to see that Ms. Rebecca was his nurse again. She has taken such great care of us while we were here and I wanted to make sure she gets credit for going the extra mile, when she absolutely did not have to. My husband and I appreciate her so much.

Teresa Blanton, RN

Daisy Award Winner, May 2021

From the nomination . . .

Teresa is phenomenal nurse and 4 Wiser is blessed to have her. The care she takes with her patients is what every nurse should strive to emulate. Nursing is definitely her "calling".  And because she "heeded the call", the patients in her care are blessed.  There are many instances that come to mind when I think of why Teresa is so deserving of the DAISY award, it's hard to narrow it down.  One time around Christmas we had a patient that has been on our floor for over a year.  The patient is wheelchair bound and doesn't get visitors often.  She went to the store and bought him a remote control car and he had so much fun going up and down the hall.  She would bring him food from home and brought him a plate of food on Christmas so he could celebrate too. I guess she realized eating the same hospital food over a year is boring.  She would bring him his favorite snacks. Although he would be difficult at times, he would seem to comply more when she was his nurse.  She has a sweet spirit and caring disposition.  So in conclusion the patients love her and the staff does too.  I am always thrilled when I see that she will be staffing the floor with us at night.  She is a top notch nurse and most deserving of this prestigious award.  Teresa is an asset to our unit and the UMMC hospital as a whole.

Logan LeBlanc, RN

Daisy Award Winner, March 2021

From the nomination . . .

Every shift, Logan strives to provide the best care for his patients. On any given day, when entering 3 Children’s, you can often see Logan running and playing nerf guns with his beloved patients, holding a baby in order to provide comfort in the absence of its parents, cracking a joke in order to make a patient smile, painting fingernails, high-fiving a patient for ambulating, celebrating the end of a chemo round, playing Xbox, and so on. These are all the things he does in addition to providing the best nursing care.

Recently, we started taking adult patients. Communication with those provider teams has been different for us in Children’s. Logan had a 21 year-old male patient who was admitted for a GSW. After hours of trying to communicate a gut feeling of something not being right, Logan escalated to the attending. He was fearless in his pursuit of answers for this patient, no matter what push-back he received. He handled the doubt, condescending tones, and questions gracefully. He communicated each piece of information that he believed to be important, no matter how subtle the detail. It paid off, as Logan’s gut feeling was correct, and the patient required emergency surgery. Caring for a population very unfamiliar to him, Logan proved that though he may be trained to be a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse, nursing shows no limitations on age nor does the nursing gut ever waiver from being right. Without Logan’s persistence, I know this patient could have had a very different outcome.

Though all of those things alone make Logan worthy of the Daisy Award, his actions recently proved that he goes above and beyond for his patients, coworkers, and unit. Most recently, Logan provided transportation for his entire shift during a treacherous ice storm INCLUDING his educator and manager every SINGLE day, picking them up and dropping them off every night for four days in a row. This included days that Logan did not even have to be at work. His journey began at 430AM on all of these days and ended well past 9PM. Logan also stopped to pull several people who were trapped out of the ice along his journey. He expected nothing in return and would not even accept anything that was offered to him. 3 Children’s was the ONLY unit in Children’s that had ZERO call-ins due to weather during one of the most historical ice storms in Jackson. 3 Children’s may have been the only inpatient unit in the entire medical center that did not receive any call-ins.

Though Logan would not take any credit for his actions, he deserves to be recognized. When I asked him why he felt the need to do this, Logan simply stated “You would do it for me. I did it so our patients could be cared for. They need us. I knew I could get us all here safely, and that’s what I had to do.” Today, Logan was observed pushing the trash cart and emptying the trash from all of the inpatient rooms. EVS has been super short due to call-ins and while waiting for his patient to arrive, he stepped in to help that team. I cannot think of anyone more deserving than Logan for the Daisy Award. He shines brightly every shift, but this week alone he has proven just how deserving he is of this award.

Briana Novick, RN

DAISY Award Winner, January 2021

From the nomination . . .
We had a patient here on ECMO for several months that had to deliver her baby, but was unable to bond appropriately with her being sedated/intubated. This nurse went out of her way to obtain a stuffed animal from the pediatric house and record the patient's heartbeat onto the insert in the stuffed giraffe for the newborn baby to be able to hear his/her mother's heartbeat. The patient did pass away. The nurse went way above and beyond by thinking to do this for the baby. This baby will never be able to hug his/her mother or hear her heartbeat again by lying on her chest, as a baby should be able to do. But he/she will FOREVER be able to cuddle with the giraffe and hear his/her mother's hear beat due to this nurse's thoughtfulness.

Jessica Brister, RN

DAISY Award Winner, September 2020

From the nomination...
Jessica was my sons night nurse. She was incredibly attentive and she understood all my concerns. Especially one pertaining to a new medication he was on that was making him look very sickly. She updated us every time the blood results came back and told us right away what the game plan was. Staying with my son pretty much 24/7 you see how each nurse works different. I noticed that Jessica was extremely thorough, clean, and efficient. She cleaned his drains and IV lines EVERYTIME she came in, checked his diaper EVERY time, check his pulses EVERY time, and checked his Breathing and listened to his chest EVERY time. I am going to be 100% honest...I have never seen another nurse be this thorough consistently. She was, EVERY SINGLE TIME, EVERY NIGHT! I loved that I never had to worry about him not being taken care of in her hands. She also always made sure his pain was tolerated with pain management (at that part of his healing. Thank you Jessica for your cleanliness, passion, dedication, and consistent thoroughness! You really eased my mind and made our family feel a lot more comfortable.

Terri Yeager, RN

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
DAISY Award Winner, July 2020

From the nomination . . .
On Easter Sunday, Terri was called to the Adult ED for a mother at 34 weeks. Upon arrival, the baby was already born with a code in process and the mother was also being coded. Despite all the distractions and the stress related to the situation, Terri never lost composure. Unfortunately, both the mother and baby were lost that day. Despite the baby being "PUI" Terri stayed behind to perform morgue care on the infant. She not only bathed the baby, she dressed him in a beautiful gown and took pictures and made footprints. No family member ever saw the baby, but because of Terri, the family was given a memory box that contained the gown, blanket, pictures, and footprints. This is something that did not have to be done, but Terri felt that child needed to be loved and needed to be remembered. Because of Terri, that was possible. Terri stayed in full PPE for over 3 hours and never complained. This hospital and our NICU are better places for having Terri.

Jennifer Alexander, RN II

Batson Community Clinic
DAISY Award Winner, May 2020

From the nomination...
My son was admitted to 3C for immunotherapy to hopefully keep his cancer from coming back. This is one of several infusions and we know that he will have severe side effects.  He has done fairly well with other rounds. During this round, however, he started having a lot of trouble breathing, rash, needing oxygen and breathing treatments, and scheduled for medicines for reactions. The 3C staff were on top of his condition at the first sign of an issue. Yesterday after all this happened, we were told Lane was being sent home to get well before trying again-and Lane wasn't happy. I'm looking puzzled at him, thinking "what"?  It's not like him to not be happy about going home. I asked him why, and he says, "I wanted to see Jennifer!"  She is one of his favorite nurses that has been with us since the very beginning.  She always spends extra time with him and is so patient. The nurses saw how upset he was and called her to tell her. She came to the hospital on her day off (just before stating 5 days of 12 hour shifts)  just to make Lane's day. He went from sad and crying to full of joy all because she was willing to sacrifice her time off to make him feel loved. Thank you!!

Marcia Bradshaw, LPN II

Batson Community Clinic
DAISY Award Winner, March 2020

From the nomination...
Marcia goes above and beyond and is always doing special things for people and never wants credit for her doings.  She always brings food and treats for the staff and if she knows its a patient's birthday while they are in clinic she gives them birthday money.  She rewards patients for good behavior or school grades if they bring their progress report or report cards.  One incident made her stand out beyond others. A patient's grandmother received custody of her 5 grandchildren and 2 have special needs due to a traumatic car accident that caused them to be placed in the grandmother's custody and left with lots of medical issues.  The grandmother is unable to receive any assistance because the children were never placed in foster care. The grandmother told me at one of the children's visits, Ms. Marcia gave her money for each one of the children for Christmas; and she wanted to show her what she bought. I felt like this act of kindness did not need to go unseen. We are so lucky to have nurses like Marcia to demonstrate compassion to our children and families.

Jacob Crouch, RN-BC

4 Wiser
DAISY Award Winner, January 2020

From the nomination...
A patient was admitted after an accidental overdose. Jacob got to know the patient and provided him with a Bible. They had daily Bible studies together. The patient stated, "Jacob looks at me like a person", and he commented he had never been treated with more kindness. Jacob made a difference in this patient's life, and in turn, made UMMC a better place. It is a true honor to work with Jacob Crouch.

Kevin Marchant, RN

MICU
DAISY Award Winner, November 2019

A few excerpts from the 10 nominations Kevin received for the November DAISY Award cycle...
- Kevin saw my grandmother as though she was his.
- I have never seen anyone with such passion and dedication.
- Kevin is a god send! He is friendly, personable and compassionate. He knows our family by name and interacts with kindness and encouragement.
- He listens patiently to questions and answers with patience.                                         
- I felt that my daughter was his number one concern.
- Just a great nurse all the way around.

Ashley Reeves, RN

Air/Ground - Peds/Neo Transport
DAISY Award Winner, September 2019

From the nomination...
Ashley Reeves, member of the UMMC flight crew, transported a critically ill neonate from an out of town hospital. During a second transport to the NICU with a different patient, Ashley discovered the first patient transported would not live. This patient had no family at the hospital. Even though she could have returned to her unit to take a break, she elected to hold this baby for two hours until the baby passed away. Ashley went to “extraordinary” lengths to provide this baby personal contact and comfort in her loving arms. Ashley is a nurse who took the time to just be there.

Brice Dawkins, RN

CVICU
DAISY Award Winner, September 2019

From the nomination...
After weeks in the hospital, this patient decided he wanted to spend his last days at home. Ambulance arrangements were made to take him home. Later, notification came that the ambulance could not pick him up until that night or the next morning. Brice Dawkins took it upon himself to call the social worker for help. After a few moments, word came there would be an ambulance to take him home.

Because of Brice's determination, this family had their final few moments together in a place that meant so much to them. This is not the only case when Brice has gone above and beyond to help families. He has a very empathetic, caring heart and provides comfort and understanding to families in their darkest hour.

Basilio Caballero, RN

5 South
DAISY Award Winner, July 2019

From the nomination...
My brother was hospitalized for several months, not physically able to watch his favorite TV show.  When his night nurse, Basilio, found out how much he wanted to see his show, Basilio brought his own laptop in order for him to watch it. The gesture and act of kindness Basilio displayed speaks to his compassionate heart and character. It is evident Basilio demonstrates compassionate care to his patients.

Janet Huffstatler, RN

4 Children's
DAISY Award Winner, May 2019

From the nomination...
One of the unit's chronically ill patients, with very little family involvement, was hospitalized. Janet spent a significant amount of quality time with this patient, working on her day off, because she did not want this patient to be alone.
Janet had concert tickets for that night, but cancelled her plans to provide her assistance and comfort. I can only imagine the peace and comfort brought to this patient by Janet's tender care and compassion.

Victoria Hines, RN

CVICU
DAISY Award Winner, March 2019

From the nomination...
Tori was successful in calming a patient who was terrified for their life. This was just one example of how Tori consistently goes the extra mile and has patience unlike any other.

Shannon Moody, RN

Adult Emergency Department
DAISY Award Winner, January 2019

From the nomination...
Because Shannon Moody, RN, was very observant of her patient and the patient’s family, she was influential in providing life-saving and timely care for each person.

Brooke Barnes, RN

5 Children's 
DAISY Award Winner, November 2018

From the nomination...
Brooke Barnes, RN, brought clothes and toys during a very scary time in a patient's life. During one of her shifts, it was noticed that although Brooke clocked out - she still found time to play a while and rock this patient to sleep. Brooke made sure this patient felt loved. 

Andrew McGinity, RN

CVICU
DAISY Award Winner, November 2018

From the nomination...
Our nurse, Andrew McGinity, RN, cared about us. He helped keep our family member as comfortable as possible, while also finding time to share inspirational words of encouragement. I could never do the job Andrew does, but I am so thankful for him. Andrew demonstrated grace and compassion every day as he helped my family through the most difficult time of our lives.

Lakesha Goodwin, RN

4 Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants
DAISY Award Winner, September 2018

From the nomination... 
Lakesha Goodwin, RN, treated and cared for a patient with severe head lice with upmost dignity. When her head had to be shaved, Lakesha purchased a head wrap and lip gloss to help this patient feel better about herself.

Shalanda Fleming, RN

Oncology
DAISY Award Winner, September 2018

From the nomination...
When a terminal cancer patient no longer wanted to groom herself, Shalanda Fleming, RN, thought of an innovative way to assist, even in the patient's worsening situation. This allowed the staff to provide the best of care by cleaning and grooming her as she had been accustomed.