The DAISY Foundation was formed in November 1999, by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at the age of 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The nursing care Patrick received when hospitalized profoundly touched his family, and is what led them to create The DAISY Foundation. Through the award and other programs, we honor the super-human work nurses do for our patients and families every day. DAISY stands for:
- Diseases
- Attacking the
- Immune
- SYstem
Current Winner
Bay Area Hospital is proud to partner with The DAISY Foundation to honor the compassionate care of our extraordinary nurses throughout the year. We have been participating in the global DAISY program since 2016, and have awarded several of our nurses who have been nominated for providing extraordinary acts of compassionate care and clinical excellence every day in their work with our patients.
Our Summer 2024 DAISY Award winner is Stephanie Merritt, a registered nurse working in our Medical Care Unit.
STEPHANIE MERRITT’S NOMINATION:
“My 87-year-old father, had been living independently and alone in North Bend for almost 13 years after Mom died in 2011. When Dad had a severe stroke in January, I dropped everything to come down from the Seattle area where I live. I feared the worst was coming. I was right. I spent five days in the hospital with Dad before he passed peacefully. All the care and support Dad and I received during our time in the hospital was amazing, but Stephanie really shone. By the time I met Stephanie, Dad had been moved to Comfort Care with all the realizations, grief and stress that accompanies that shift. Stephanie took the time to listen as I told her about my Dad: the person, not the helpless patient. She listened to my stories about him with compassion and tenderness and prayed with me when I shared my faith convictions. Her medical care of my Dad, along with the kind and unobtrusive instructing of student Avery (who was also lovely), impressed me. Her gentle care and concern for my Dad’s comfort and dignity meant the world to me. With all the stress of our time in the hospital I barely ate or left Dad, so I was impressed and touched when Stephanie not only admonished me to eat but brought me food and reminded me that I needed to take care of myself also in order to care for Dad and to best manage what was coming.
Stephanie is an extraordinary nurse and I would love to see her honored with an award. She made one of the most difficult days of my life much more bearable.”
Past Winners
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2024
- Colby Gillett, RN
- Skyler Walton, RN
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2023
- Grace-Ann Nichols, RN
- Shayla Campbell, RN
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2022
- Sue Mathews, RN
- Tina Winfrey, RN
- Marsia Thamy, RN
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2021
- Emily Miller, RN
- Melinda West, Patient Care Services Clinical Manager
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2020
- Kara Sharrai, Post Surgical Unit (PSU) Nurse
- Samantha Zilz, Wound Clinic Nurse
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2019
- Angie Webster, Director of Clinical & Professional Development
- Noah Nicolle, Rapid Evaluation Unit (REU) Nurse
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2018 - 2016
- Karla Sheets, Float Pool Nurse
- Sandra Lucatero, Emergency Department (ED) Nurse
- Craig Palen, Post Surgical Unit (PSU) Nurse
- Rose Goffinet, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurse
- Tricia Smith, Medical Care Unit (MCU) Nurse
- Michael Evanson, Medical Care Unit (MCU) Nurse
- Angie Andersen, Case Management and Social Services Supervisor
Make a Nomination
Have you experienced exceptional care while you or a family member were a patient at Bay Area Hospital? Please consider nominating your nurse for the DAISY Award and telling us your story! Please see the examples from previous winners above of the kind of information we need to nominate your nurse. Other ideas include:
- How did this nurse make a special connection with you?
- Describe a situation where this nurse went above and beyond
- Share an example where extraordinary compassion was used
To make a nomination please contact Bay Area Hospital’s DAISY Program Director:
Email: sandra.maddux@bayareahospital.org
Please preface your email to let Sandra know that you are making a DAISY Award nomination. If you would like to fill out, print, and mail in a form, the form can be found here. Please mail these to: Bay Area Hospital, Attn: Sandra Maddux, 1775 Thompson Road, Coos Bay, OR 97420.
For more information about The DAISY Award, please view The DAISY Foundation website here.
