Nurse honored with inaugural DAISY Award

HSHS St. Francis Hospital recently awarded, Ashley Pokorney, RN, with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.   

Pokorney was nominated by a previous patient for her extraordinary care. The patient expressed that Ashley went above and beyond to provide comfort, care and compassion during a patient’s delivery, and it was the best experience the patient had ever had.  

Including Pokorney, a total of six dedicated nurses were also recognized for receiving individual nominations for this quarter. These other colleagues included: Sara Burris, Brittany Davis, Terra Massey, Angie Perry and Kim Simmons. 

“It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that,” said St. Francis Hospital’s Director of Nursing Heather Senaldi, RN, BSN. “As an organization, we are extremely proud of our nurses. Nurses are heroes every day.  Those we honored truly embody our four Core Values of Respect, Care, Competence and Joy in how they care for patients and their families.”  

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, and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. 

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. 

The award recipient is chosen by a local committee at St. Francis Hospital. 

Nominations for future DAISY Awards at St. Francis Hospital continue to be accepted. Patients, visitors and colleagues are encouraged to share and submit their story of witnessing excellent and compassionate care from staff. The nomination forms can be found here, or on paper forms available throughout the hospital. 

For more information about The DAISY Foundation, visit DAISYfoundation.org.

Photo Caption: Ashley Pokorney, RN (third from left), from HSHS St. Francis Hospital’s Family Maternity Center, was recently named St. Francis Hospital’s inaugural DAISY Award winner. Pokorney was congratulated by (left to right) Sarah Tomlinson, RN; Brittany Davis, RN (also nominated for the DAISY Award); Pokorney; Elisa Feldmann, RN, Family Maternity Center manager; Bethany Price, RN, nursing educator; and Heather Senaldi, director of nursing.