Melissa Ethington, RN, was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Sarah Bush Lincoln on January 20. Ethington was nominated for her compassion and professionalism. Her nominator wrote in part:
“Melissa demonstrates a dedication to nursing. She is pleasant, warm, knowledgeable, and very professional in the performance of her responsibilities. The qualifications could describe all of the nurses and staff who helped me during my stay in the Emergency Department and on 3 East. Thanks to all!
Melissa demonstrated great empathy when I shared concerns about transportation. My husband insisted on picking me up from SBL the next day, but several attempts to phone each other had failed. Finally, we spoke. He had been in front of Entrance A for a long while, unable to go in because his walker was at home. As Melissa became aware, she took over! She owned the situation, and without hesitation went to Entrance A and got a wheelchair for my husband. While he waiting inside the building, she had the car parked, then pushed him to my room. She assisted us in ordering dinner and made sure we were comfortable. Melissa’s compassionate, personal investment in our situation was not part of her regular nursing duties. I felt like I was leaving a friend behind. We are grateful.”
Sarah Bush Lincoln has joined more than 2,700 healthcare facilities by becoming a DAISY Award hospital partner. During the award presentation, Ethington 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.