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Special to the Daily Journal

A family hoping to memorialize a young life claimed by an autoimmune disease decided the best way to do that would involve a nurse recognition program.

And so the DAISY Awards came to be.

FirstHealth of the Carolinas is now a hospital partner in the DAISY program and will recognize its first DAISY Awards nurse in May.

“DAISY Award honorees personify FirstHealth’s extraordinary patient experience,” said Deana Kearns, registered nurse for FirstHealth Clinical Practice.

“These nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care, and are recognized as outstanding role models in our nursing community,” Kearns said.

DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. A foundation and awards program bearing the name was founded in November 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, a 33-year-old husband and new father who died of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpora (ITP).

According to the DAISY Foundation website, members of the Barnes family decided to honor Pat Barnes’ memory by recognizing “the one really positive thing” about his final eight-week hospitalization — “the skillful and amazing compassionate care he received from his nurses” — and establishing the foundation and awards program.

Nurses from throughout the FirstHealth organization can be nominated for a DAISY Award, and an online nomination form can be found at http://www.firsthealth.org/Specialties%20&%20Services/Nursing/daisyaward.asp.

Nominations should be based on the following criteria:

• Patient-Centered Care

• Establishes a special connection with patients and families through trust and emotional support

• Provides compassionate care

• Keeps the patient and his/her family at the center of care

Service Excellence

• Demonstrates professionalism in the work environment

• Develops key relationships with others

• Communicates clearly and effectively with co-workers and patients

Clinical Expertise

• Commits to the highest standards of professional nursing practice

• Demonstrates excellent clinical and critical thinking skills

• Focuses on meeting patient and family goals

FirstHealth’s first DAISY Award winner will be announced soon, and subsequent award winners will be named monthly.

Richmond Memorial Hospital in Rockingham is part of FirstHealth of the Carolinas.