Critical Care Nurse Natalie Earnest, RN, was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Sarah Bush Lincoln on September 29.
Earnest was nominated by two granddaughters who were grateful for the compassionate care she provided to their grandmother at the end of her life. In their nomination letter, the granddaughters wrote:
“Natalie was our grandmother’s nurse in the Critical Care Unit for the final two nights of her life. To say that Natalie embodies the Sarah Bush Lincoln standards is an understatement. She is a very compassionate and skilled nurse. She was very attentive to our grandmother’s needs – and ours. She went out of her way to call us when her shift ended to give us a report of how grandma’s night was. She was at her side – and ours – during her final hours, caring for her medical needs, which were many, while also taking care of her and all of us as if we were her own family.
Our grandmother had been sick for a few months and we knew her passing was inevitable. Natalie was a true blessing in making this situation more bearable and comfortable for us all. She comforted grandma and us as we made the final decision to let her go. She is an outstanding example of what a true nurse should be – making a difference in each of her patients’ lives. Thank you, Natalie, for everything that you did for all of us!”
Sarah Bush Lincoln has joined more than 2,700 healthcare facilities by becoming a DAISY Award hospital partner. During the award presentation, Albert received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a unique, hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, entitled, “A Healer’s Touch.”
The DAISY Award was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at 33 of 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 families.
Patients, visitors, nurses, physicians and other employees may nominate a deserving nurse for The Daisy Award and a nurse will be selected by SBL’s DAISY committee every month to receive this special honor. Nomination forms are located at www.sarahbush.org and at all SBL clinics and on patient floors. The forms can be submitted to any Sarah Bush Lincoln staff member, or sent via email to daisy@sblhs.org or mail to Sarah Bush Lincoln, DAISY Nursing Award, 1000 Health Center Drive, Mattoon, IL 61938. For more information, SBL DAISY coordinator, Tracey McCord, RN, at (217) 238-4987 or tmccord@sblhs.org.