Four nurses from UPMC in North Central Pa. were recently recognized as recipients of the DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses.

Robbi Clark, RN, clinician, UPMC Outpatient Emergency Department in Lock Haven; Tom Root, RN, ICU, UPMC Wellsboro; Linda Lomax, LPN, UPMC Williamsport; and Holly Hackenberg, RN, UPMC Home Healthcare of Central Pennsylvania and Family Hospice, were all honored with DAISY Awards for Quarter 1.

Robbi was nominated by a patient who shared:

“I visited the ED for flank pain, and I soon found out I was going to be transferred for surgery. I was scared and in pain, but Robbi was amazing. She patiently explained everything to me and made me feel at ease while I waited to be transferred. She checked on me often to make sure I was comfortable or if I needed anything. I just want to say thank you Robbi for your incredible care and compassion during my ED visit.”

Tom was nominated by a patient who shared:

“Tom explained every situation very well. He was calm and understanding and he took the time to listen and provide excellent feedback. I’m always so amazed how nurses are so upbeat and tireless, even with such long shifts. Tom never lost energy, even after being with me for 12 hours.”

Linda was nominated by a patient’s family member who shared:

“My mother was admitted to UPMC Williamsport after suffering a massive stroke. Linda met with us as we arrived and quickly made us feel welcomed and important to her. She displayed competence, compassion, and caring in all she did. She was gentle with my mom and treated her with respect. As a retired nurse educator, I recognize and appreciate the excellence in nursing care Linda afforded to not only my mom, but to us as well. She certainly made a difficult situation more bearable. Linda went above and beyond and deserves all the recognition.”

Holly was nominated by a patient’s family member who shared:

“My husband had brain cancer and many complications. He met Holly through Hospice during his last month of life. She took the time to understand the issues he was dealing with. Each visit, she examined him, and helped address his needs with diligence and competency. We slept better and our last month together was blessed because Holly cared. I will never forget her.”

The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 in California by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 from complications of an auto-immune disease. During his eight-week hospital stay, his family was impressed by the care and compassion his nurses provided, not only to him but to everyone in the family. They created the DAISY Award in his memory to recognize those nurses who make a big difference in the lives of so many people.

UPMC is proud to be a DAISY Award partner. Nurses are nominated by patients, family members of patients, as well as other health care professionals. DAISY Awards are presented to nurses at UPMC in North Central Pa. monthly. Each DAISY Award Honoree is given a DAISY Award pin, a certificate of honor, and a stone sculpture entitled, A Healer’s Touch, handcrafted by a tribe in Zimbabwe. Anyone can nominate a nurse for the award including co-workers, patients, patient family members, or physicians. To nominate a nurse, visit UPMC.com/ThankaNurse.