Gigon Honored With Nurse Leader DAISY Award at GSRMC December 20, 2024 Samaritan leaders and coworkers surprised Krisa Gigon in the Employee Health and Safety office with the announcement that she will earn a nurse leader DAISY Award. The honor recognizes her outstanding contributions as both an employee health nurse and co-chair of the hospital’s Ethics Committee. “Krisa has been actively involved in participating on and eventually leading the Ethics Committee in her organization,” nominator Bill Howden wrote. “She has consistently worked to make the Ethics Committee an effective resource for clinicians, as well as patients and their support systems. She promotes the incorporation of clinical ethical principles, as defined by health care ethical standards as defined by the ANA and other health care professional ethics standards.” Gigon’s journey in health care took an unexpected turn early in her career. “I wanted to be a nurse midwife in a rural community,” she said. After nursing school Gigon worked in large urban and small rural hospitals and in industry before coming to Good Samaritan 20 years ago. “I have had the good fortune to work across several different aspects of nursing, caring for very diverse patient populations from cradle to grave,” Gigon said. “Those experiences, specifically caring for elders and for those affected by HIV/AIDS in the 80s and 90s, drive my passion for ethical healthcare and led to my getting a Masters in Healthcare Ethics in 2014.” This decision would prove pivotal in shaping her two decades of service at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. In her primary position as one of two Employee Health & Safety nurses at the GSRMC office, Krisa is able to balance the responsibilities of this position in addition to being the co-chair of the Ethics Committee at GSRMC. The DAISY Award recognizes her impactful work on the Ethics Committee and her commitment and support to the patients needing this service. One example of her ethics work is the development of a process to represent patients who are unable to speak for themselves and do not have someone to speak for them. “These patients frequently come from an unhoused setting and do not have identifiable family or acquaintances who are able to speak to what the patient’s wishes would be regarding various levels of medical interventions,” Howden wrote. “These circumstances can cause a significant amount of moral distress for those involved.” “I was actually quite surprised,” Gigon said of receiving the award. “It is really satisfying to have my ethics work recognized by my peers. To know that it’s making a difference, and you can have an impact on patients and families – it’s very rewarding.” Gigon finds fulfillment in the human connections she creates while wearing her multiple hats at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. “My favorite aspects of either job, whether the ethics or employee safety component, is that interaction with individuals, that relationship,” Gigon said. “That connection has been really important to me about nursing – that sense of relationship and doing good work simultaneously.” Gigon credits her success to an exceptional work environment. “It’s one of the highest functioning, most resilient teams I’ve ever worked with in my entire professional career,” she said. She particularly praised her director’s supportive management style, which allows her the flexibility to pursue her passion for ethics while maintaining her primary responsibilities in employee health and safety. Outside of work, Gigon maintains strong local family ties and enjoys food preservation as a hobby. Caption: DAISY Award Coordinator Laura Sailor hands Krisa Gigon flowers while Melanie Patterson holds the banner.
