Samaritan Celebrates May 2022 DAISY® and BEE Award Recipients
Published on: June 22, 2022
Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center is pleased to announce its DAISY and BEE Award recipients for May 2022. 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.
Sheila Zeller, a Registered Nurse at Samaritan Medical Center, received the DAISY Award. Jordan Sawyer, Registered Respiratory Therapist at Samaritan Medical Center, received the BEE Award. Zeller was nominated by a fellow RN, and Sawyer by the parents of a pediatric patient. A committee then selected them.
Zeller was nominated for going the extra mile to ensure the wellbeing of a regular patient. The co-worker described Zeller saying:
“One of our patients was late for their scheduled appointment which created great concern for Sheila… Sheila said that she had that achy gut feeling that something was wrong. Some may have just left this as a no-show, but not Sheila. She made calls from the contact list we had… The contact person then went to the patient’s home and found the patient in dire need of immediate medical attention.”
For receiving the DAISY Award – which is an international award backed by The DAISY Foundation – Zeller was presented a certificate commending her as an extraordinary nurse, a DAISY Award pin, and a symbolic sculpture 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.
Sawyer was nominated for the BEE Award by the Dandrow family for demonstrating high standards of care and compassion during a crisis.
“Our young daughter was admitted for labored breathing due to croup. The next morning she stopped breathing. Nurses called a code, performed CPR, and then intubated her. Jordan was one of many who responded to the code. Once intubated, he was constantly monitoring and adjusting the ventilator. Additionally, he constantly kept us apprised of the situation. He answered all our questions, reassured us, explained everything in detail, and became the friend we really needed. He helped keep our heads in a good space – considering the circumstances.”
Sawyer was presented with a certificate, a BEE Award pin, and a gift bag 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.
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.