“Cancer is a horrible disease. However, when you have a nurse that
truly cares about you and your family, it makes a tremendous difference in a patient’s well-being and ability to fight.”
That was the closing line of a letter nominating Prisma Health Blount Memorial Hospital registered nurse (RN) and oncology navigator Jennifer Collins for the hospital’s thirteenth DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®. It was written by fellow Blount Memorial employee Julie Patterson, whose husband, Michael, has been undergoing cancer treatment.
Collins earned the award after going “above and beyond” for Michael, including remaining in contact with him and helping lift his spirits when he was transferred to Duke University Hospital. “His recovery was so very hard, and he spent over a week in the hospital. Jennifer checked on him daily while we were at Duke,” Julie wrote. “His goal was to be home by Christmas, and it was not looking good. With Jennifer’s encouragement and motivation, he was able to meet this goal,” she added.
Both Julie and Michael were on hand to thank Collins and celebrate her when she received her DAISY award.
“Jennifer exemplifies the heart of nursing: compassion, dedication, and unwavering support for our patients and their families,” said Blount Memorial chief nursing and operating officer Joe Newsome. “Her commitment to going above and beyond is exactly what the DAISY Award is meant to honor. We are incredibly proud to have nurses like Jennifer who care for our community and make a lasting impact on the lives of those they care for,” he added.
Blount Memorial partnered with The DAISY Foundation™ in 2020 to acknowledge extraordinary and compassionate care in the field of nursing. The hospital’s association with The DAISY Foundation™ gives patients, family members, co-workers, visitors and colleagues the opportunity to nominate a nurse for the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide. Award recipients are chosen throughout the year by a hospital committee to receive The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®.
DAISY Award nomination forms are available throughout the hospital and on the hospital’s website here.
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.
About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a private nonprofit health company with over 32,000 team members, 19 acute and specialty hospitals, 3,131 licensed beds, 320 practice sites, and more than 5,900 employed and independent clinicians across its clinically integrated inVio Health Network. Along with this innovative network, Prisma Health serves more than 1.6 million unique patients annually in its South Carolina and Tennessee service areas. Connect with Prisma Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter/X. Visit PrismaHealth.org.
