Annual Audit Report Places Hospital in Strong Position
May 1, 2023
Gentry Retires after 17 ½ Years
May 15, 2023
Texas County Memorial Hospital celebrated the work of their 97 nurses during National Nurses’ Week, May 1 through the 5.
Nurses’ Week is celebrated annually at TCMH. Nurses work in many departments of the hospital – medical, obstetrics, emergency room, surgery, intensive care, home health, hospice, and clinics.
“I want to thank all of our nurses for everything that they do every day,” Courtney Owens, TCMH director of nursing said.
The Scrubs on Site from Holden came to TCMH to allow nurses and other employees the opportunity to shop for uniforms during the day on Monday.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the TCMH nurse managers held a “skills lab” training session for all TCMH licensed practical nurses (LPN) and registered nurses (RN). The skills lab included 14 hands-on training activities such as medication tests, crash carts, transfusions, restraints, fire safety, Stroke/STEMI, patient safety, infection control, hand washing, and more.
“We had very good participation from our nurses,” Owens noted. “92 percent of our nurses completed the skills lab.”
The nurse managers at TCMH hold the annual skills lab training during nurses’ week to help nurses keep up with in-house educational needs.
Culminating Nurses’ Week, a luncheon and ceremony were held for all nurses on Friday, May 5.
TCMH nurses Lauren Conaway, med-surg RN, Michael Sullivan, med-surg LPN, Tabatha Grindstaff, med-surg RN, Holli Turner, emergency RN, Paul Fockler, house supervisor RN, Mary Glotfelty, emergency RN, Maddie Rolen, Hospice RN, Cheryl Maley, Hospice RN, Cameron Brown, Hospice LPN, Shelly Rust, med-surg director RN, Shelby Ellison, case management RN, Ashtin Driskell, med-surg LPN, Gina Pursifull, Licking Clinic LPN, and Rebecca Gorton, emergency RN were all nominated for the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award. Each nominee was honored with special recognition and a DAISY pin for their nomination.
“All the nominees represent nurses that are recognized as ‘outstanding nurses’,” Owens explained. “The DAISY Award is the highest recognition award for an RN and LPN at TCMH.”
The DAISY Award is part of the non-profit DAISY Foundation of Glen Ellen, CA. The Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes. 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 as 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 was experienced by the person making the nomination.
“We have a lot of great nurses at TCMH, and we want to recognize the meaningful impact they have on the lives of so many people,” Angela Cox, RN in obstetrics and Daisy coordinator said.
From the nominees, Cheryl Maley of Houston was selected as the recipient of the Spring DAISY Award. Maley has worked at TMCH for ten years.
Stace Holland, chief executive officer at TCMH, presented the award to Maley.
“I appreciate those that submitted the nominations and recognized the good acts of our TCMH nurses that were above and beyond,” Holland said.
Maley received the DAISY Award for the nomination she received from a patient’s wife.
In the nomination, the patient’s wife explained how much of a comfort Cheryl was during her husband’s last week before passing.
The patient’s wife said Cheryl always came to their house as fast as she could when she called. She said when they needed medicine, Cheryl ordered and delivered it quickly even though they live a good distance from town.
She further explained that it snowed eight inches on the last day of her husband’s life. Even though she called Cheryl early in the morning, Cheryl insisted on coming over to be with them. Cheryl spent the morning with the family and had to leave for another call. Her husband then took a turn for the worst and Cheryl came right back despite the roads being terrible, it didn’t keep her away. Cheryl was patient and kind and made her husband’s death a beautiful ending as the family said goodbye.
“Cheryl is an outstanding and compassionate nurse who will do whatever it takes to get patients the care they need,” Owens said. “She is very deserving of this award.”
Maley received a special DAISY Award pin; a recognition certificate, a bouquet of fresh flowers, and a hand-carved stone sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”