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Types of ResourcesTwo EWCH Emergency Department Nurses Recognized with DAISY Foundation Award
Award winners are Jessica Pillen, left, and Phyllis Hardin.
Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital’s (EWCH) and the Nurse Professional Practice Council honored two outstanding nurses at the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ceremony.
The DAISY Award is a national award to honor nurses who exemplify extraordinary, compassionate care. Nurses can be nominated by anyone in the healthcare organization, including patients and family members.
At this year’s ceremony, emergency department nurses Phyllis Hardin and Jessica Pillen were presented with the DAISY Award and recognized with stories detailing the outstanding patient-centered care they provide.
- Phyllis Hardin was nominated by a coworker who said she goes the extra mile to make both patients and employees feel special. Her coworker told a story detailing how Phyllis cared for a young patient who was in the hospital during the Halloween holiday. She bought the patient a costume and asked hospital staff to participate in a trick-or-treat tour throughout the hospital, allowing the patient to have a “normal childhood experience while in an atypical circumstance.”
- Jessica Pillen was nominated by a patient family member who said she went above and beyond to care for their spouse who had COVID-19. Her nominator said Jessica made the patient and family as comfortable as possible, was very communicative throughout the experience and exhibited extraordinary, compassionate care. The nomination refers to Jessica as an “angel.”
“Phyllis and Jessica are exceptional nurses who care deeply for their patients,” said EWCH Director of Operations/Associate Chief Nursing Officer Teresa Bowleg, MSN, RN. “It’s an honor to be able to work alongside them, and I am grateful for their compassion and dedication to our patients and their families.”
The DAISY Foundation was created in 1999 after Patrick Barnes passed away from Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. His family wanted to honor his memory and show appreciation for the compassion and kindness shown by the nurses during Barnes’ eight-week stay in the hospital. Barnes’ wife, Tena, created the DAISY acronym, which stands for “diseases attacking the immune system.” For more information about the DAISY Foundation or the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, please visit www.DAISYfoundation.org.