WARREN, Ark. – Joseph “Joe” Huitt, RN, was honored as the most recent recipient of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ® Tuesday afternoon at Bradley County Medical Center. This award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.
Top photo: DAISY Award Nominees and Winner Attached, from L to R: Dana Sawyer, Joseph Huitt, and Halee Byrd
Huitt’s nomination stated that he is an absolute, wonderful above and beyond nurse. It continued by saying that Huitt took excellent care of their dad during his stay at BCMC along with being attentive and wasn’t a rush in, rush out kind of nurse. The nomination continued with, “He listens, and he is also a great asset to the BCMC, you are blessed to have him. Everyone took great care of my dad, he really enjoyed having Joe as his nurse, all his other caregivers were great as well, but to nominate one, we nominate Joe Huitt.”
A nurse on BCMC’s Med-Surg Unit, Huitt received a certificate commending him for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” Additionally, he was given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa, and a banner for the Med-Surg Unit.
In addition to Huitt, two other nurses were finalists for the award including Halee Byrd, RN, and Dana Sawyer, RN. Each nominee received an honorary DAISY pin. The award ceremony featured all three candidates receiving a pin and Huitt being presented his award. Cinnamon rolls, fruit, and punch were served to all who attended the ceremony.
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from 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 patient families.
Nurses were nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The nominations were blinded and voted on by the DAISY Committee led by ER Nurse Manager Cheryl Wells, RN, who serves as BCMC’s DAISY coordinator. The nominations were graded based on set criteria, a numeric value was assigned based on these criteria, and awards were determined based on score. The committee members voted. The process was overseen by the DAISY coordinator.
The Award at Bradley County Medical Center is co-sponsored by generous donations. Initial funding was provided by the facility. The program is maintained through generous support from donors, including anonymous donors, committee members, the BCMC Employee Appreciation Council, and other fundraisers.
This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation to express gratitude to the nursing profession. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, The DAISY Faculty Award to honor inspiring faculty members in schools and colleges of nursing, and The DAISY in Training Award for nursing students. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
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