Photo caption: Julia Bell, RN, with SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital’s 5 West medical/surgical floor, was recently recognized with a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. She was joined by (left to right) Lori Cardinal, Megan Krupp, Julia Bell (award recipient), Toni Schlieve, and Sara Komosa..
Julia Bell, RN, 5 West, has been named a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses winner at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. 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 may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen based on specific criteria to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented to one recipient on a quarterly basis. Bell was nominated by a patient’s family member who wrote:
“Today was my first Mother’s Day without my mom. Every day, and especially on holidays, I think about my mom’s final days. One might expect that I would be filled with sadness. Yet, because of an extraordinary nurse, my memories of that time provide solace and I feel an upwelling of love that moderates my grief. Nurse Julia compassionately and skillfully monitored my mom’s needs, collaborated with her care team, and implemented her prescribed treatment plan to alleviate suffering and promote healing. She kept my brother and I informed of my mom’s condition which inspired confidence when we were faced with difficult, life-altering decisions. Although Julia’s innate compassion would have been worthy of a DAISY Award, it is not my reason for her nomination. My mom’s needs were always at the center of Nurse Julia’s sphere of care. Yet, when she would get a warm blanket for my mom, she also offered to bring one for me. She converted the couch into a bed so I could spend the night, showed me where to get coffee in the morning, and converted a corner of the hallway into a workspace so I could stay the day. Nurse Julia not only accepted that I was exactly where I needed to be, she considered my brother and me to be an integral part of my mom’s health care team. When I wanted to fully understand my mom’s medical condition, Julia listened to my questions with her heart, responding with grace and tenderness, especially when it became apparent that my mom was going to die. My mom was enveloped in a loving and safe place when she died. Her words and actions have supported my heart healing in these past months – lifting joy above loss.”
Bell was recently recognized during a brief ceremony. She received a certificate commending her as 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.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin, and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” according to Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses St. Agnes Hospital are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
