Skye Anderson, RN, nurse in CCU (Cardiac Care Unit) at East Georgia Regional Medical Center, was recently awarded the hospital’s DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Skye began her nursing career at EGRMC in July of 2019.
Skye had more than one nomination by patients that she has previously cared for. Below is an excerpt of one of the nominations, sharing Skye’s compassionate nursing care:
“I was admitted to East Georgia Regional Medical Center with A-Fib. I have a mechanical heart valve that replaced my mitral valve 20 years ago. My first open heart surgery was when I was 30 years old and again when I was 35. Since the surgery was at an early stage I was sent from New York Hospital in NYC to St. Luke Hospital in Houston, TX, where Dr. Denton Cooley did open heart procedures and implanted rings in my valve to keep the valve open and functioning. In 1999, I had my valve replaced with a St. Jude mechanical valve at Memorial Medical Center in Savannah. I have been in hospitals from New York City, Houston, Savannah, Winston-Salem, and twice at East Georgia Regional Medical Center. Now that I have bored you with my medical history, there is a reason for it.”
“I have worked in medical doctor’s offices both in New York and in Savannah. One of the most important things I learned in my many years working in these offices was that ‘bedside manners’ by the doctors, and staff as well, could either make or break the practice. I feel the same today as I did then. I will be 82 years old this year. I found that the entire staff of doctors, nurses, aides, and food service employees made your establishment very warm and caring. I thank all of you for my excellent care.”
“The reason for my communication to you is to recommend the one nurse I simply fell in love with because of the excellent medical care as well as bedside manners, was Miss Skye Anderson in CCU. She is special, young, and very well versed on the care I needed. Anything she would do to make my difficult time there very pleasant, she did. I know from the experiences I have had over the many years, that Miss Skye Anderson will always be an asset to your hospital or any hospital that will be lucky enough to employ her will be fortunate to have her as an employee. Thanks from the bottom of my heart, Miss Skye Anderson, for what you did for me over and above what was expected of you as my nurse.”
“Skye truly makes a difference in the lives of her patients,” said Marie Burdett, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at East Georgia Regional Hospital. “She is the type of nurse that exudes genuine kindness and compassion when caring for her patients. Skye keeps her patients and their family at the center of care, all while demonstrating excellent clinical and critical thinking skills.”
Nurses may be nominated for the DAISY Award by patients, family members, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at EGRMC, upon review of all nominations. Each Honoree receives a certificate commending her or him 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, bouquet of daisies, a banner to hang in their respective department, fresh baked cinnamon rolls for their team, and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called ‘A Healer’s Touch’, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
“The DAISY Award serves as another important way for us to ensure that our nurses receive recognition and praise for the remarkable work they do every day,” said Stephen Pennington, Chief Executive Officer of East Georgia Regional Medical Center. “We are pleased to honor Skye with this award, and we thank her for the safe, compassionate care she gives to all of her patients at EGRMC.”
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.
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, President and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at East Georgia Regional Medical Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
