March and April 2023 DAISY® and BEE Award Recipients
Published on: June 16, 2023
Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center is pleased to announce its DAISY and BEE Award recipients for March and April 2023. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® recognizes exemplary nursing staff, and the BEE Award honors other outstanding staff members who support patient care, both at the hospital and all outpatient clinics.
Michael Belles, registered nurse in the Emergency Department at Samaritan Medical Center received the DAISY Award for March. Melissa Buker, secretary at Samaritan’s Urology specialty clinic, received the BEE Award for March. Kassandra Keene, registered nurse on 4 Pavillion at Samaritan Medical Center received the DAISY Award for April. Isela Silva, clinical discharge planner in the Inpatient Mental Health Unit at Samaritan Medical Center received the BEE award for April.
Kim Smith, BSN, RN, Director of Nursing Critical Care, Samaritan Medical Center, nominated Belles after witnessing various acts of kindness and compassion with patients and their family members like walking with them rather than simply pointing the way and listening to their needs while responding with compassion. She said: “His genuine approach was empathetic and sincere.”
A grateful patient nominated Keene saying:
“Kassandra stopped in many times to ensure that I was comfortable and if there was anything that she could do to assist me. She was very attentive and in my mind went above and beyond to ensure I was taken care of.”
For receiving the DAISY Award – which is an international award backed by The DAISY Foundation – Belles and Keene were presented with certificates commending them as extraordinary nurses, DAISY Award pins, and symbolic sculptures called “A Healer’s Touch,” which is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. A larger version of this sculpture has also been installed in the Healing Gardens at Samaritan Medical Center in honor of all DAISY and BEE Award winners to come. It was purchased using funds donated by the Samaritan Auxiliary.
Makensie Coniski, operations manager, Samaritan Urology, nominated Buker for the BEE award saying:
“She worked with other members of our healthcare team to find a solution for a patient who nearly had their surgery rescheduled due to provider illness. She showed resourcefulness, caring, and compassion and I appreciate her for it.”
The family of a patient of Samaritan’s Inpatient Mental Health Unit nominated Silva for the BEE award saying:
“She openly communicated with each member of our family uniquely as we each had a different role to play in our family member’s care. Isela even stayed late after her shift for a chat after my visitation to see how I thought my family member was progressing.”
Buker and Silva were presented with certificates, BEE Award pins, and gift bags with other tokens of gratitude.
Both awards will continue to be presented throughout the year, and nominations can be submitted by patients, families, or colleagues at any time. To make a nomination or to learn more about the Samaritan DAISY and BEE Awards, visit www.samaritanhealth.com/daisy-bee.
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About Samaritan Medical Center
Samaritan Medical Center (Watertown, New York) is a 290-bed not-for-profit community medical center, offering a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services. From primary and emergency care to highly specialized medical and surgical services, such as cancer treatment, neonatal intensive care, behavioral health and addiction services, and imaging services, Samaritan Medical Center and its team of healthcare professionals proudly serves the medical needs of our civilian and military community. Quality, compassion, and safety are the basic principles by which exceptional care is delivered at Samaritan.
About The DAISY Foundation
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. In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,900 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and for nurses participating in medical missions. More information is available at http://www.DAISYfoundation.org.