Samaritan Albany General Hospital Presents DAISY Award to a Kindhearted Nurse December 11, 2024 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. Nicole Orth, RN, works in Ambulatory Infusion and was honored to be a DAISY Award recipient. Orth started in the Med/Surg Department for two years before moving to Ambulatory Infusion and has been with Samaritan since 2019. Orth was chosen from among 12 submissions. She was nominated by a patient who appreciated her compassionate and kind care. The nominator stated: “Nicole has been an incredible nurse to me during my infusion visits. Infusion is not something I was hoping to have to endure during my pregnancy. It was something I was actively trying to avoid. I bruise like a peach, aggressive and for what seems like forever. Nicole was the only nurse able to poke me without leaving any bruises. She took the time to examine me and find just the right spot to poke. She was kind and thoughtful, she’d ask me about my daughter, about my weekend, about my day. She checked with me to make sure the nausea meds I’d been prescribed were working and offered additional options to talk to my OB about. Nicole made me feel cared for and I appreciated that during my miserable time.” A ceremony was held to honor Orth and the PRIDE — passion, respect, integrity, dedication and excellence — she shows in her work. At the ceremony, Orth was celebrated by her colleagues. 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. Orth’s supervisor, Trisha Estes, describes her as a kind, caring and compassionate nurse who always puts the patient first and is dedicated to ensuring patients receive the best care possible. The other nurses nominated alongside Orth were: Chery Aguilar, Med/Surg. Rea Brookfield, Ambulatory Surgery. Amber Bruggeman, Surgery. Diane Clarke, Ambulatory Surgery. Carmen Espinosa, Emergency Department. Rachel Jarrad, Med/Surg. Elizabeth Larson, Mid-Valley Children’s Clinic. Tara Pearson, ICU-CCU. Kate Perry, Med/Surg. Luke Schindler, ICU-CCU. Scott Skinner, Med/Surg. All nominees received a pin from their supervisor. 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.
