Nurses at Community Health Center of Branch County are being honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award, presented in collaboration with the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), is part of the DAISY Foundation's program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform everyday.

This quarter’s award recipient at CHC is Drus Ferguson from the Critical Care Unit. Drus was nominated to receive the DAISY Award because she comes to work everyday ready to give her all to her patients and does it with a smile. She treats every patient, visitor, and staff member with great care and compassion and without judgment. Drus is truly a great human being and people aspire to be more like her.

Each quarter a nurse is selected by CHC nursing administration to receive the DAISY Award. At a presentation given in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients, and visitors, the honoree receives a certificate commending her or 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." The honoree will also be given a special sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. 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. 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, 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 acutely ill patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses at the Community Health Center of Branch County are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”

“We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes everyday,” said Chief Clinical Officer, Mary Rose. “It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and the DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

CHC held an award ceremony on June 29, 2010. This was CHC’s second quarterly Daisy Award. Congratulations to all nominees. CHC will be awarding a new recipient every quarter.