FirstHealth of the Carolinas nurse Amber Saunders, R.N., has been recognized with the DAISY Award.
Saunders, a clinical nurse in the coronary care unit (CCU), was nominated by a local pastor who had visited a patient at Reid Heart Center.
“I got to witness Amber be so much more than a nurse. She was a shoulder to cry on, an expert in her field and a calm, reassuring voice. Her patient was near the end of life and she dealt with the family with such care and excellence,” the pastor wrote. “I watched her return to the nurse’s station with tears in her eyes because of the love for her patient. She made the patient comfortable and helped prepare the family for the inevitable truth. As a pastor for 16 years, I have had too many of these visits, but because of Amber’s devotion and professionalism, this was different. She made a true difference in a grieving family’s life.”
CCU nurse manager Judi Russell, MSN, R.N., CCRN, said Saunders is dedicated to her patients and coworkers.
“Amber is compassionate, and she really cares for our patients and their families,” Russell said. “She goes the extra mile to ensure our patients and families have everything they need and treats each patient as if they were her own family. Amber is passionate about nursing. She truly loves what she does, and it shows in her daily practice.”
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was established by the Daisy Foundation, a not-for-profit, based in Glen Ellen, Calif. The foundation was started by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease.
The care Barnes and his family received from nurses inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patients’ families.
Today, there are more than 2,800 health care facilities in all 50 states and 17 other countries honoring their nurses with the DAISY Award. FirstHealth of the Carolinas, which includes Moore Regional Hospital, Moore Regional Hospital – Richmond, Moore Regional Hospital – Hoke and Montgomery Memorial Hospital, recognizes an extraordinary nurse each month and has since 2014.
For more information on the DAISY Award, or to nominate a deserving nurse, visit FirstHealth’s website.
Feature photo: Deana Kearns, MSN, R.N., NPD-BC, administrative director, corporate education and professional development; Judi Russell, MSN, R.N., CCRN, nurse manager, CCU/CVT/ISU (coronary care unit, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, and intermediate surgical unit); Amber Saunders, R.N. (winner); Angie Stone, MSN, R.N., CV-BC, administrative director, inpatient cardiovascular services; Genteal Pelzer, MHA, BSN, R.N., NE-BC, associate nurse executive, FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital; and Jacklynn Lesniak, DNP, M.S., R.N., NEA-BC, chief nursing officer and Vice President, patient care services.
Courtesy photo/Contributed.
