Erika Roderick, LPN, was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Sarah Bush Lincoln on September 27.
Roderick was nominated for her compassion and attentiveness. Her nominator wrote in part:
“I was a patient in the Emergency Department last month. One morning, I woke up with my leg numb from the knee down. As the day progressed, the numbness extended upward, and I experienced foot drop. At the request of my primary care provider, I made the decision to come to the Emergency Department.
Upon arriving, I was promptly and cordially greeted and triaged. I was treated by Lori Luther, MD, who, in her own right was nothing short of spectacular; but I spent more time with your nurses. I cannot begin to praise them enough. Bridget Roderick and Erika Roderick, LPN, went above and beyond. They did everything they could to make me as comfortable as possible despite my intractable pain.
When my MRI results came back, it was decided that the best course of action was to schedule surgery the next day. I was terrified because I had never had surgery before. To say I was apprehensive would be an understatement. Both Bridget and Erika offered reassuring words and showed true empathy when speaking with me. They made me feel much more at ease with my upcoming surgery and helped get me comfortable on the ambulance stretcher, which was no small feat.
If you have two nurses that deserve this award, I nominate both Erika and Bridget to share this. I understand that Bridget may be a paramedic, but if I can make a case for an exception, this would be it. The fact that they are mother and daughter I feel makes this case even more extraordinary. They are truly an asset to the SBL Emergency Department, and I am very lucky to have gotten both of them during my visit.”
Sarah Bush Lincoln has joined more than 2,700 healthcare facilities by becoming a DAISY Award hospital partner. During the award presentation, Erika Roderick 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 interim coordinator, Tracey McCord, RN, at (217) 238-4987 or tmccord@sblhs.org.