Congratulations to our newest DAISY Award winner! Ashley is a Labor and Delivery RN with Riverside.

Her nomination from a mother to be read: “I want to take a moment to recognize my nurse, Ashley. I walked into the labor and delivery department from the ER for decreased fetal movements and already felt unsettled about the situation. However, the minute I walked into the department, I was greeted with the biggest smile and warmest welcome from Ashley. Trying my best to hold back tears from being nervous about my situation, Ashley reassured me that it was OK to cry if I needed and to let it out and that her and the rest of the staff would take care of me.

After bringing me into a room to get hooked up to the monitors, I again broke down into tears and explained that I had previously miscarried twice last year and apologized for being emotional. Again, Ashley took a deep breath with me, told me there was no need to apologize and that what I was feeling was validated and real and again OK.

As soon as she hooked me up to the monitor, I was able to see that my baby had changed positions, and that was why I could not feel the movements like I had been. I even felt a little silly for going in because my baby was so active on the monitor, but again, I couldn’t feel any of it. Ashley beat me to it by saying, “any time you feel a change, please come in because it’s better to be safe than sorry!”. We both took a sigh of relief!

I just want to say I’m so thankful there are nurses like Ashley out there, especially in the Labor and Delivery department. In an uncertain and stressful situation like mine, it was SO nice to have such a nice, calm, and respectful nurse by my side. She made me feel so comfortable and validated in me coming into the hospital!

Thank you, Ashley! Your compassion, optimism, and kindness did NOT go unnoticed. I appreciate you!”

Congratulations to our newest DAISY Award winner Haley Mau!

Here is the story: Haley Mau was my mother’s nurse for her final two days of her life. Mom suffered a massive stroke on Sunday but her body didn’t quit until Wednesday. It was a very long three days. While (almost) all staff were very kind, Haley’s gentle, quiet competence made a difference in this difficult time for our family. She worked beautifully with hospice once we involved them. And when an overnight nurse did not give my mom her medications appropriately Haley jumped to make it right when she arrived. ||I knew Haley when she was in grade school in Herscher and I was her Library Media Specialist. It was a joy to meet her as an adult, excelling in her chosen profession. She MINISTERED to my mom and all of the family. As my mother took her last breath I was holding Mom’s hand. The rest of the family was not able to get there. Haley was with me. I will forever be grateful for her many kindnesses, but most of all for that quiet competence. Thank you, Haley.

Our most recent DAISY Award winner is Janet W., an RN in our 3ICU area. She was nominated by a co-worker who has seen countless acts of compassion by Janet to her patients and others. #DAISYAward

Her nomination read, “There was a patient on the unit that had been struggling with their health for a long time before getting answers that she needed open heart surgery. Janet, being the compassionate and caring nurse that she is, found out that the patient loved to play Uno Attack. All weekend they talked about the joys of playing the game. The next day, Janet went above and beyond for the patient. She brought the game to the unit. The patient was scheduled for open heart surgery that day. It brought the most amazing smile to her face. I have witnessed countless compassionate and caring acts of kindness that Janet has made over the years. She is one of the most amazing nurses. She truly cares and gets to know each one of her patients, including what they love and what motivates them. She is an extraordinary nurse. For days after the event, the patient asked if Janet was here and when she would be back. She even asked the other nurses if they wanted to play. Janet, of course, had left the game for the patient to play. That one of act of kindness helped the patient get through the difficult recovery from open heart surgery. Janet is truly a blessing to Riverside and all of the patients that she comes across. She is the definition of extraordinary.”

We are celebrating Labor and Delivery RN Hannah L. as our most recent DAISY Award Winner. The DAISY Award is an honor that recognizes the exceptional, skillful, and compassionate care these nurses demonstrate for our patients and families every day.

A patient nominated Hannah, “Hannah came on and took care me the morning of April 7th. I was 35 weeks and had preeclampsia again this time around. I was pushing and Hannah stated that if the baby’s heartbeat didn’t increase then we would be going back for a C-section. After about 10 seconds, she stated that we were going to be going for an emergency c-section due to the baby’s heartbeat being super low and not coming back up. Her and the two other nurses were super-fast at getting me right into the OR. Hannah advocated for me, when the anesthesiologist tried to put me to sleep, and kept telling him that my epidural was working and they could use that to numb me even more, instead of putting me to sleep. My baby was out within 5 minutes of Hannah using her best judgment and telling me I needed a C-section. I was awake to hear my baby cry after she was out and for that I am so thankful. I cannot thank Hannah enough for her skills, compassion, knowledge, and promptness to keep me and my baby safe. Hannah returned the next morning and took care of me again. She listened to my needs and concerns and did everything she possibly could for me to be comfortable. I’m so thankful for the bond that I felt was so easy to establish with her. I will forever be thankful for her.”

Congrats to our newest DAISY Winner Chloe Dalton. Here is the story, “I had been having regular contractions, so my husband and I headed to the hospital. I could tell my contractions were getting closer and stronger but upon an exam by Chloe, we found out that I was actually very (unexpectedly) close to delivery. We were thankful that Chloe had already started to compile our paperwork prior to us arriving. Having a lot to do and not a lot of time, Chloe kept calm and worked as a team with other nurses to make sure everything was ready for delivery. She coached me through the entire process. […] While it could have been a very nerve-racking process, Chloe made sure my husband and I understood everything that was happening, answered every question we had, and was there for any concern we expressed. Her care and passion for us as her patients made our experience something very special. She even took a few moments to check in on us in post-partum. She will always hold a special part in our memories for her compassionate and outstanding care.”