DAISY & BEE Awards
If a particular staff member made your Samaritan Experience extra special, you can nominate that individual for a DAISY or BEE Award. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® can be given to a nurse at Samaritan Medical Center or any outpatient clinic, and the BEE Award can be given to any staff member that supports patient care. Scroll down to learn more or make a nomination.
The DAISY Award
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ® is an international award backed by the DAISY Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate care that nurses provide patients and families every day.
The DAISY Foundation was 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 at Samaritan Medical Center or any Samaritan outpatient clinic may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at Samaritan Medical Center to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues. 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 BEE Award
Just like a DAISY would not be able to grow without the help of the BEE, our nurses could not do what they do for our patients without the outstanding teamwork of other health care professionals.
That’s why Samaritan Medical Center recognizes support personnel alongside nurses through a similar honor called the BEE Award. Anyone at Samaritan Medical Center or any Samaritan outpatient clinic who supports patient care — such as transportation aides, visual observation staff, unit assistants, unit clerks, housekeepers, nursing assistants or others — can be nominated for the BEE Award. Just like the DAISY Award, nominations can be submitted by patients, families, and colleagues. Recipients will be chosen by a committee at Samaritan Medical Center and will be honored with the BEE Award throughout the year.
Each honoree receives a BEE Award pin, a certificate recognizing her or him as an exceptional caregiver, and a bag filled with goodies.