Adventist Health and Rideout Honors February 2024 DAISY Award Winners

The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary compassion and skillful care given by nurses every day. Adventist Health and Rideout is proud to be a DAISY Award partner.

DAISY Award honorees personify the remarkable Adventist Health and Rideout patient experience. These nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care, and they are recognized as outstanding role models in our nursing community.

DAISY Award: Erik Carson
Department: Emergency Department
Nominated by: Patient's Family

From Patient's Family: “My 43-year-old brother came into the emergency department as a trauma from a dirt bike accident. Erik was my brother’s nurse for 11 hours. My brother had an open compound fracture of the right wrist and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Erik made my brother's wife very comfortable and well informed during the whole ordeal. Erik advocated for my brother to make sure that he got prompt care. He advocated that he be sent to a place that had a team of orthopedic specialists, so he could get a group approach to fix his complex fracture. Erik was welcoming to all the visitors and interacted well with everyone. He let multiple visitors back to see my brother to help relieve some of the stress from the family. He helped make the stressful situation calmer by keeping us informed and he continually evaluated my brother because of his TBI. I feel that he made the whole experience better for my brother and our family.”

DAISY Nurse Leader Award: Aman Johal
Department: 4 Main
Nominated by: Co-worker

From Co-worker: “I had a patient that was on our floor for several days before I was assigned to care for her. This patient was deteriorating quickly with multiple health problems. When moving this patient, she was unable to lift her own legs. She continued to state that she wanted to get up and move. We knew this would not be safe for the patient. Aman took it upon herself to help this patient. She went and found the ICU cardiac chair and with assistance we got her up into the chair just in time for one of her lifelong friends to visit. Aman then took this patient to the window and allowed her to visit for about 15 minutes. We were then able to safely move the patient back to bed. She was very appreciative and the time she got to spend with her friend was irreplaceable as the patient passed away shortly after this interaction. I thought this was exemplary behavior and was multiple examples of not only our mission statement but actions we should take as nurses.”

DAISY Nurse Leader: Dpinderjot Bains
Department: ICU
Nomination by: Patient, Jason Lewis

From Jason Lewis: “It’s not easy to describe what exactly he did but I can’t stop thinking about how much he did. First off, he was the only nurse that cared for my mom longer than one shift. He was her nurse for three nights in a row. I’ll do my best to cite the factors that motivate me to see he is recognized. First off, simply, his demeanor is exactly what was needed at the time he entered the situation. I should also note, he’s fairly new to his position. But that wasn’t the drawback it can be in healthcare. He performed his work as confidently and supportive as a veteran of his field. He leads with empathy. He leads with compassion. And it’s obvious that it’s both something he’s intentionally incorporating into his care but that it’s also naturally part of his personality. He speaks AND moves calmly. He was never aggressive in his handling of my mom. He treated my mom like she was his own mother. He was patient and supportive and respectful to my mom. To me as well. He was encouraging to her. He was optimistic in a subtle way that helped my mom feel better about her future. He listened! Not just patronizing and trying to listen while multitasking on other duties. But really listened, which as a family member, was a blessing. He made me feel like my mom had someone there for her overnight, even though I couldn’t be due to visiting hour limitations. He was the first person in any capacity to make me feel like I wasn’t alone in my concern for my mom; that I wasn’t the only one that could relay the information doctors and nurses needed but were missing. He agreed to the favors I asked of him. He blessed me with the confidence of care that I needed to go home and rest and not just sleep another night outside in my car to be in her room as soon as visitors were allowed. He communicated. He agreed to call me if certain conditions arose and/or if any changes were needed. And he did. This was the most important thing I needed. He ensured that me, a concerned, occasionally skeptical and involved advocate for my mother’s health and care, felt heard, respected, and supported. He could have personally labeled me as difficult or challenging. Instead of treating me like I was a nuisance or in the way, he made room for me, literally and figuratively. He included me in the conversation around my mom’s care. And he was extremely hospitable to me on top of that. He not only provided the care and support, but he went further and beyond providing that service. His words. His expressions. His knowledge. His intention. His purpose. His ability. His tone. His physicality. His interaction with his colleagues. His energy. His attitude. ALL of it was exemplary and at the very least, deserves this recognition. Which I sincerely hope he receives. Give him the Daisy award, please. Even though I’m sure it’ll just be one award in a long-deserved array of recognition he receives throughout his career. I read everything I could find about this award and I’m confident that the family who created this award in their loved one's honor would agree that he is as deserving as anyone can be.”