Nurses at AllianceHealth Ponca City are being honored 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.

The AllianceHealth Ponca City DAISY Award recipient for 2nd Quarter 2020 is Mary Garibay. Mary has been a nurse for 18 years. She works in the Outpatient Surgery department and works with patients/families before and after surgery. Mary was nominated for the DAISY award for being caring, compassionate and making the patient feel happy, her nomination stated “This nurse (Mary) was a sweetheart to me. I love her and I am going to miss her. She was fun to be with and she makes you feel like you are home. She LOL (laughs out loud) with you! She loves her work and she makes everyone happy. If you are down she will make you happy again. I would like to take Mary home with me, we would be happy all the time. Keep up the good work Mary, I will miss you and I hope to see you again. Thank you for being there for me!”

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 may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at AllianceHealth Ponca City to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. 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, handcarved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, Presi

Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, President and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, said “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at AllianceHealth Ponca City are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

Chief Nursing Officer Jeanne Stara said “We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program”. “Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

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 http://DAISYfoundation.org.