WARREN, Ark. (2/5/25) – Steven Smith, RN, earned the latest DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® in a ceremony at Bradley County Medical Center Wednesday morning. This award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.
Smith is a nurse in BCMC’s Emergency Department and has been with the hospital for more than 30 years. He received two nominations during the voting period. One nomination was straight to the point calling him a great guy that provided good service along with being caring and a great listener.
The other nomination stated, “He always goes above and beyond for his patients, never treating them with bias or stereotypes. Patients come in asking for him by name.” The nomination continued by talking about his kindness towards colleagues, students, and new nurses. The nomination concluded with, “He deserves to be recognized for all of the things he has done and continues to do for this hospital and this community.”
In honor of winning the award, he received a certificate commending him 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, Smith was given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
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 can be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The nominations were blinded and voted on by the DAISY Committee. 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.
This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation to express gratitude to the nursing profession. 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 https://DAISYfoundation.org.
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