The DAISY Award is a nationwide program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses everyday. Saint Clare’s Health System is proud to be a DAISY Award Hospital Partner, recognizing one of our nurses with this special honor every month.

The DAISY Foundation was established in 2000 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died of complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) at the age of 33. DAISY is an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system. During Pat’s 8 week hospitalization, his family was awestruck by the care and compassion his nurses provided not only to Pat but to everyone in his family. So one of the goals they set in creating a Foundation in Pat’s memory was to recognize extraordinary nurses everywhere who make an enormous difference in the lives of so many people by the super-human work they do everyday.

Additionally, everyone in the unit will celebrate with Cinnabon’ cinnamon rolls – a favorite of Patrick’s during his illness. The Barnes Family asks that whenever and wherever nurses smell that wonderful cinnamon aroma, they stop for a moment and think about how special they are.

Patients and their families or hospital employees can nominate a nurse. (Click to download the DAISY Award nomination form)