Jessica Turner Receives Albany’s DAISY Award for Exceptional Hospice Care October 14, 2026 Samaritan Albany General Hospital has partnered with The DAISY Foundation to recognize extraordinary nurses for the compassionate care they provide to patients and families every day. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. As a hospice case manager with Samaritan Evergreen Hospice, Jessica Turner helps patients and families navigate some of life’s most difficult moments. With warmth, patience and a deep commitment to patient-centered care, she works to make sure those in her care feel valued and supported. Recognized for Compassionate Hospice Care A patient’s family member nominated Turner for the DAISY Award after the care she provided to their mother. The nominator stated: “It is my honor to nominate Jessica Turner for the DAISY Nursing Award in recognition of the extraordinary compassion, kindness and dignity she showed while caring for my mother during the final days of her life. “Hospice care is about far more than medical treatment. It is about bringing comfort, peace and humanity during one of life’s most difficult journeys. Jessica embodied those qualities every single day. She cared for my mother with genuine warmth, patience and respect, making her feel valued as a person rather than simply a patient. “Her kindness extended beyond my mother. She recognized that hospice care includes caring for the family as well. She answered our questions with patience, anticipated our needs, offered reassurance when we doubted ourselves and treated each of us with empathy and respect. Her calm presence helped transform an incredibly painful experience into one filled with love, dignity and grace. “The technical skills of a hospice nurse are essential, but it is compassion that truly defines excellence in hospice care. Jessica possesses both in abundance. She reminded us that even at the end of life, there can be comfort, dignity and moments of profound human connection. Our family will never forget the care she gave my mother or the comfort she brought to all of us. She made an immeasurable difference during one of the hardest times in our lives, and I cannot imagine anyone more deserving of this recognition. It is with my deepest gratitude and highest recommendation that I nominate Jessica for this award.” A Commitment to Patients & Families Turner’s manager, Susan Schaberg, describes her as a kind and compassionate nurse who has embraced the hospice specialty with enthusiasm, professionalism and a commitment to learning. “Jessica embodies the heart of hospice nursing,” Dole said. “She has a genuine gift for helping patients and families feel valued, heard and cared for during a vulnerable time in their lives. Her calm presence, clinical expertise and unwavering compassion make a lasting impact on those she serves. We are fortunate to have Jessica on our team, and the DAISY Award is a well-deserved recognition of the extraordinary care she provides every day.” Celebrating a DAISY Award Winner Turner was surprised with the award during a team meeting, where colleagues and family members gathered to celebrate her dedication to hospice nursing. She was presented with a certificate, DAISY pin and a Healer’s Touch statue created by an artist in Zimbabwe, which symbolizes the relationship between nurses, patients and families. Along with public recognition, DAISY award winners receive financial discounts for nursing certification training, reduced tuition for continued education, conference scholarship opportunities and are eligible for the national DAISY Award. About The Daisy Foundation The DAISY Award was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes to “honor the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve and throughout their careers, from student through a lifetime of achievement.” To learn more, visit DAISYfoundation.org. To nominate an extraordinary Samaritan nurse, go to samhealth.org/DAISY.
