Albany Hospital Presents DAISY Award to a Remarkable Nurse October 18, 2023 Samaritan Albany General Hospital has partnered with The DAISY Foundation in a mission to recognize extraordinary, compassionate nurses and the care they provide to patients and families every day. DAISY is an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system. Laura Price, RN, works in the LDRP department and was honored to be the first recipient of a DAISY Award from the Women’s Center floor. Since 2014 Price has been a part of the Samaritan team. She started off at the Mid-Valley Children’s Clinic and after a couple of years moved to the Women’s Center where she currently works as a labor nurse, nursery and pediatric nurse as well as helping care for post-op patients from time to time. Price was chosen from among 21 submissions. She was nominated by a patient who appreciated her compassionate care and impressive communication skills. The nominator stated: “I recently underwent total mastectomy surgery and was admitted to Laura’s floor. She demonstrated the highest professionalism, integrity, thoroughness and compassion possible in my personal situation. I was often fraught with pain management, emotionally charged, personally overwhelmed and had a follow-up for surgical care maintenance. My whole family was unbelievably impressed with Laura and I feel I have a new friend in the process. Laura was like a sister, family friend and was tireless while providing patient care. What an asset to Samaritan’s staffing! What was particularly impressive to me was her personal approach, observational nursing skills, and her style of communication and effectiveness in helping me at a particularly vulnerable time. Laura has the highest level of people skills in the most caring of manners. She comes across as an unusually excellent listener and guide to administering whole patient care. Thank you, Laura and keep up the excellent work!” A ceremony was held to honor Price and the PRIDE — passion, respect, integrity, dedication and excellence — she shows in her work. At the ceremony Price was celebrated by her colleagues and while Price’s nominator was not able to join the ceremony, they were ecstatic to hear she would be receiving such a high honor. She was presented with a certificate, DAISY pin and a beautiful Healer’s Touch statue created by an artist in Zimbabwe, which symbolizes the relationship between nurses, patients and families. Along with the 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. Price’s supervisor, Carrie Durkee, describes her as a skillful nurse and a valuable team player. “All spectrums of care are represented on Women’s Center at Albany and Laura cares for all these patients with care, skill and respect. She is kind and really is a good listener with her patients and their families. She is a valued member of the team here at SAGH Women’s Center.” The other nurses nominated alongside Price were: Chery Aguilar, Med/Surg. Dorothy Bathke, Pre-op. Jamie Bryant, LDRP. Elizabeth Carlson, Med/Surg. Holly Carlson, Med/Surg. Diane Clark, Pre-op. Mahilat Dinku, Med/Surg. Jessie Galusha, Med/Surg. Corena Hoffman, LDRP. Allison Hurst, Med/Surg. Marisa Lunsmann, ICU/CCU. April McKiernan, ICU/CCU. Alicia McLaren, Pre-op. Janice Roebuck, Med/Surg. Luke Schindler, ICU/CCU. Brittany Sellers, LDRP. Scott Skinner, Med/Surg. William Slack, Med/Surg. Russel Tasker, ICU/CCU. Amina Topp, Emergency Department. All nominees received a pin from their supervisor. The DAISY Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura autoimmune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. To nominate an extraordinary Samaritan nurse, visit samhealth.org/DAISY. To learn more about The DAISY Award, visit DAISYfoundation.org.
