PONCA CITY, Okla. –– 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 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 AllianceHealth Ponca City DAISY Award recipient for the Second Quarter of 2023 is Megan Martin, RN. She has been employed with our hospital since September 2021 in the Emergency Department and is described by colleagues as a strong and fair advocate for her patients and coworkers. Megan is a valuable member of our team as shared by her supervisor and Emergency Department Director, Heather Turner, “Megan has been a great source of comradely and inspiration for the department. She has covered multiple shifts to ensure others don’t work shorthanded. She has been an amazing patient advocate. Her ability to put her patient and team members first is unmatched, and she does it all with a smile and pleasant demeanor. We are beyond blessed to have her in this department and facility.” In addition to daisy flowers and a certificate of appreciation, Megan was presented with a special Healer’s Touch Sculpture. The beautiful sculpture is called “The Healer’s Touch”, representing the bond between nurses and their patients. The sculpture was hand carved, made of serpentine stone, and was signed by the Shona artist from Zimbabwe who created it. The economy and politics of Zimbabwe have been in turmoil for decades, however, through their work for DAISY, the Shona artists are able to support hundreds of people in their community. This sculpture is a symbol also of nurses reaching around the world to impact lives around the world. “Megan’s care and compassion in the Emergency Department is Top Notch. We love recognizing our nursing staff for their outstanding work and appreciate The DAISY Foundation for the opportunity to do so,” said Jeanne Stara, Chief Nursing Officer.

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. Congratulations, Megan!