Kelly Smith, RN and River Hospital Care Coordinator is the recipient of the first DAISY Award given at River Hospital. Kelly was nominated by a fellow staff member for demonstrating extraordinary nursing care. A quote from her nomination form reads, “a patient was referred from the ER to the clinic with multiple concerns about how she would get to a follow-up appointment in Syracuse. Kelly was awesome in reassuring the patient that she could help with transportation and helped the patient apply to get a volunteer driver. “
"DAISY" is an acronym for "Diseases Attacking the Immune System". The DAISY Award was established by The DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at 33 of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an auto-immune disease. The Barnes Family was awestruck by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of the nurses who cared for Patrick, so they created this national award to say thank you to nurses everywhere.
River Hospital also awarded its first BEE award to Mattilynne Hough, Patient Registration Clerk in recognition of her willingness to go the extra mile for her patients and team members. Matti was nominated by a patient, and an excerpt from her nomination form said “Matti took the bull by the horns and called the doctor’s office on my behalf until she got through to them. Because of her help, I didn’t have to make an extra, unnecessary trip.”
"BEE" is an acronym for "Being Excellent Everyday" and this award program acknowledges the strength behind teamwork. The BEE Award is given in conjunction with the DAISY Award to symbolize the relationship between nursing and clinical support caregivers – the same way bees and flowers depend on one another.
River Hospital introduced the DAISY Award in conjunction with the BEE Award in the fall of 2023 and received nominations from patients, families, and staff over the last several months. All nominees were recognized at the awards ceremony. These awards will be given out bi-annually. Nominations can be made by a patient, family member, community members, or fellow staff members at www.riverhospital.org, or by filling out a paper nomination which can be found in waiting areas.