Belinda “Lee” Taylor, RN, was named the recipient of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® in a recent ceremony 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.
Taylor’s nomination stated that she exemplifies servant leadership evidenced by her willingness to support and serve both her patients and staff. The nomination continued by explaining that although she fulfills a charge nurse role, she strives to meet our needs by providing bedside care, answering call lights, administrating meds, managing admissions, or discharges. Her demeanor is always professional, pleasant, and cooperative and no matter how busy it gets, Taylor has a “we got this” attitude. The nomination concluded by saying that she is a strong patient advocate, and the nominator appreciates her as a colleague and leader.
At the time of this nomination, Taylor was the head of BCMC’s Med-Surg Unit, but she is now overseeing Social Services and Utilization Review. She received a certificate commending her 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, she was given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer's Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
The other finalists included Celia Oehlerich, Ashley Grider, Kelly Adair, Sommer Johnson, and Jessica Jones. Each nominee received an honorary DAISY pin. The award ceremony featured all six candidates receiving a pin and Taylor being honored as the winner. 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.
Expressing gratitude to the nursing profession is one of a few initiatives of The DAISY Foundation. 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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