Eagle Times Staff
WINDSOR, Vt. — Three nurses, two licensed nursing assistants (LNAs) and one licensed practical nurse (LPN) at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC), a member of Dartmouth Health, were recently recognized for providing extraordinary patient care with DAISY Awards by the DAISY Foundation, an international organization founded to celebrate nurses. The hospital also awarded some of these outstanding nurses with a PETALS Award, which stands for ‘Professional Extraordinaires That Always Lend Support.’
“The recognition of our nurses and assistants with DAISY and PETALS Awards is well earned. Thanks to their dedication and compassion, Mt. Ascutney is perennially ranked among the highest in Vermont for patient experience,” said Winfield Brown, interim president and CEO of MAHHC. “We are grateful for the exceptional care they deliver every day and the positive impacts they have on our community.”
The DAISY Committee at MAHHC, which scores blinded nominations and selects winners, awarded Kimberly Rich, RN, CAPA, the DAISY Nurse Leader Award. As a clinical supervisor in the surgical services department, Rich supports the staff, provides exceptional care to patients and provides educational opportunities for fellow nurses.
Nurses Lily Burke, RN and Ruth Doiron, RN, also received DAISY Awards. Burke is known not only for her patient care but the comfort she gives to patients’ loved ones, by showing compassion and sharing her deep knowledge of her practice. Doiron is an acute care nurse recognized for regularly stepping up to help her fellow nurses, attentiveness to patient needs and empathy.
“I am immensely proud of the nursing and assistant staff who repeatedly prove they’re the best at what they do,” said Amy Visser-Lynch, MSN, RN, CENP and MAHHC’s chief nursing officer. “We appreciate them and everything they do for the community they serve. These awards are each well-deserved.”
The hospital also awarded PETALS Awards to Katherine Flynn, LNA, Elaine Nestor, LNA, and Brianna Henault, LPN.
For more information about Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, visit mtascutneyhospital.org
The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award is an international program that celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. Members of the nursing professional development and recognition council review DAISY Award nominations and select the winners.
The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died from complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) in 1999. During Pat’s hospitalization, the family deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown by the nurses. When Pat died, the family felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way, and they established The DAISY Award in his honor.
The PETALS (Professional Extraordinaires That Always Lend Support) Award honor those who partner with nurses to provide exceptional care, including LPNs, LNAs, and CMAs.
Founded in 1933, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) is a not-for-profit community hospital network in Vermont including the critical access-designated Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, Historic Homes of Runnemede, a senior residential care campus in Windsor, and the Ottauquechee Health Center in Woodstock. A member of the Dartmouth Health system, MAHHC provides comprehensive primary and specialty care, 35 inpatient beds, 10 of which include its nationally recognized Acute Rehabilitation Center. Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is dedicated to improving the lives of those it serves. It is at the hub of a vast community resource network that has partnered to cover service gaps and improve overall population health. As the largest employer in the area, MAHHC acknowledges its employees as its greatest asset and has been recognized by the Governor’s Office with Excellence in Worksite Wellness awards and for its consistent performance as one of the top-ranked hospitals in northern New England for employee engagement.
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