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Texas County Memorial Hospital honored Michael Sullivan of Houston with a DAISY Award during a cinnamon roll breakfast ceremony on Wednesday, October 16, for all the DAISY Award nominees.
Sullivan has worked at TCMH for two years and is currently a registered nurse (RN) in the emergency room. The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award is the highest recognition for an RN and licensed practical nurse (LPN) at TCMH.
The DAISY Award is part of the non-profit DAISY Foundation of Glen Ellen, CA. The family of J. Patrick Barnes established the Foundation. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease.
The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while Patrick was ill and hospitalized inspired the DAISY Award, which is a way of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. The DAISY Award recipient must be nominated for a specific act of extraordinary care that the person making the nomination experienced.
“We take great pride in our collaboration with Daisy to present this award, as we have a wealth of exceptional nurses at TCMH,” Courtney Owens, TCMH Chief Nursing Officer, said.
Bill Bridges, TCMH chief executive officer, presented the award to Sullivan.
“We’re thankful to the individuals who took the time to submit nominations and recognize the exceptional actions of our TCMH nurses, who went above and beyond their regular duties,” Bridges said. “These amazing acts show how committed our nurses are to providing top-quality healthcare services to our patients.”
Sullivan received the DAISY Award from a nomination from Roxanna, who submitted the recognition for his compassionate care for her seven-year-old son in the emergency room.
In her nomination, Roxanna explained how Sullivan was exceptionally kind and remarkably calm. He maintained a wonderful demeanor and positive attitude while interacting with her son. She mentioned that they shared jokes and talked about their favorite things. Roxanna expressed her gratitude for Michael’s compassionate care during the almost four hours they spent in the emergency room and said she couldn’t thank him enough.
“Michael is an exceptional nurse, and we are privileged to have him in our emergency department,” Owens said. “He deserves this award, and we are incredibly proud of all he has achieved.”
Sullivan received a special DAISY Award pin, a recognition certificate, a bouquet of fresh flowers, and a hand-carved stone sculpture by artists in Zimbabwe called “A Healer’s Touch.” Cinnamon rolls were served at breakfast because Cinnabon cinnamon rolls were Patrick Barnes’ favorite food during his hospitalization, and he always shared them with his nursing staff.
Heather Day, RN, obstetrics; Paula Riggs, RN, emergency room; Candace Mize, RN, emergency room; Dustin Luse, LPN, medical-surgical; Ashley Davis, LPN, outpatient surgery; Julie Patton, RN, medical-surgical; Jerry Pursifull, RN, surgery; Lisa Pellerito, RN, emergency room, also received special recognition and a DAISY pin for being nominated for DAISY Awards at TCMH.
The nurses work in many hospital departments, including medical-surgical, obstetrics, emergency room, surgery, intensive care, home health, hospice, and clinics.
From left: Dustin Luse, LPN; Jerry Pursifull, RN; Julie Patton, RN; Michael Sullivan, RN, Daisy Award recipient; Heather Day, RN; Lisa Pellerito, RN
Michael Sullivan, RN, emergency room, Daisy Award recipient
Bill Bridges, TCMH chief executive officer, announces Michael Sullivan as the Daisy Award recipient