Three UHC nurses were honored with the DAISY Award.
Leigh Belin, RN, BSN, RBC-OB, C-EFM, RNC-LRN, LCCE, clinical educator, Maternal Child; Alecia Isner, RN, OB; and Vaughn Vincent, RN, OB; have been named winners of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at WVU Medicine United Hospital Center (UHC). 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.
Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen based on specific criteria to receive The DAISY Award. During a brief ceremony, the DAISY recipients received a certificate commending them 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.
“We are certainly proud of our 40 DAISY Award nominees and honored that three of our nurses received this prestigious recognition,” said Stephanie Smart, MSN, RN, vice president of Nursing/CNO at UHC. “We honor them with the DAISY Award for the extraordinary dedication and compassion they demonstrate every day. It is a tribute to their hard work, resilience, and unwavering commitment to patient care and advocacy, ensuring patient safety and wellness.”
Leigh Belin, RN, BSN, RBC-OB, C-EFM, RNC-LRN, LCCE, was nominated by a patient’s friend who wrote:
“A friend of mine was having her baby in the hospital but had to have an unplanned c-section. After her c-section, she ended up coding and we lost her for a few minutes from loss of blood. Leigh was just one of the many nurses who helped get her back and got her feeling well enough to be transferred. Leigh was outstanding and is one of the main reasons my good friend is still on this earth today, soon celebrating her daughter’s first birthday!”
Alecia Isner, RN was nominated by a coworker who wrote:
“Alecia is my co-worker, friend, and the nurse who delivered my baby boy six months ago. Being a labor and delivery nurse myself, I thought I knew what to expect when going through labor…but I quickly realized that was not the case. After a long night of pain, Alecia helped me through receiving an epidural. She breathed through contractions with me and never left my side. Once the epidural was placed, she quickly realized something was abnormal- my epidural had gone intravascular. I was terrified and didn’t know what to expect. Alecia intervened immediately, talked me through the situation, and held my hand the entire time. She advocated for me and my baby. She ensured I was comfortable and helped me through my fear simply with her presence. Alecia saved my life. After receiving a new epidural and finally feeling normal again, she coached me through the pushing process and cheered me on for the most important moment of my life. I will never forget her being there for me in my most vulnerable moments. Alecia is a fantastic nurse and friend, and I will always cherish her care.”
Vaughn Vincent, RN was nominated by a patient who wrote:
“I went into the hospital with back pain thinking nothing of it, just thought it was normal pregnancy symptoms. The nurses got me all hooked up in triage and checked my cervix to find out I was 5cm dilated and in labor. I was taken to my room; the night nurse got me all comfortable and situated for a few hours until I received my epidural. The shift change was when my day shift nurse came in (Vaughn), she introduced herself and asked if we needed anything. About half an hour later, Vaughn came in, checked my cervix, and stated the doctor wanted to start me on Pitocin and use the peanut ball since I wasn’t dilating. She knew I was getting more nervous the more dilated I became. She checked on me every half hour and sat with me when needed. It came around the time to check again and I was at a full 10 cm. I started freaking out when they told me they could see the baby’s head. Vaughn took the time to get me calmed down, she talked me through it all and was by my side the whole time! Finally, the baby arrived. It came time to try to get the baby to latch to eat, she did well with latching the first few times. Later, Vaughn came back to check on us and I was trying to get the baby to eat, but she kept fighting me. I became frustrated, thinking breastfeeding wasn’t for me. Vaughn took the time out of her busy day to help and teach me how to position the baby to get her to latch comfortably. After a few tries, my baby took off eating! Vaughn was my nurse each day while I was in the hospital. She took AMAZING care of my baby and me, making sure we had everything we needed. She was super kind and helpful when it came to breastfeeding, if it wasn’t for her, I would have given up and switched to using formula. Now, my daughter is 3 months old, and I still use the techniques Vaughn showed me during my hospital stay! If I ever decide to have another baby, I will request Vaughn Vincent as my nurse!”
More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
Stephanie Smart, MSN, RN
Vice President of Nursing/CNO
Leigh Belin, RN, BSN, RBC-OB, C-EFM, RNC-LRN, LCCE
Clinical Educator, Maternal Child
Alecia Isner, RN
Vaughn Vincent, RN
The DAISY Award recipient is chosen based on specific criteria. Each of the 59 UHC nurses nominated received a certificate commending them as “Extraordinary Nurses.” The three UHC nurse honorees received a DAISY Award pin, and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, which is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Pictured from left: Leigh Belin, RN, BSN, RBC-OB, C-EFM, RNC-LRN, LCCE, clinical educator, Maternal Child and Vaughn Vincent, RN, OB, not pictured is Alecia Isner, RN, OB.
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