NVRH and The DAISY Foundation Celebrate Four Honorees with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses

NVRH Nurses Kim LaBounty, LPN, Women’s Wellness, Pauline Sylvain, RN, Emergency Department, Diane Gonyaw Covell, LPN, Kingdom Internal Medicine, and Megan Johnson, RN, NVRH Specialty Clinics, were honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses^® for their compassionate care and peer support at The DAISY Award ceremony at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) on Tuesday, November 16. The ceremony, which is traditionally held on the units and attended by patients, colleagues and family members, was broadcasted via Webex for NVRH staff to view and celebrate the honorees.

The award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate care nurses provide their patients and their families every day. The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation is a not-for-profit 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 (ITP), a little known but not uncommon 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.

“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do,” President and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation Bonnie Barnes said. “The kind of work the nurses at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

Kim, Pauline, Diane, and Megan were nominated by patients whose lives and experiences were significantly impacted by the care they received, as well as families of patients, and colleagues.

“This month I had the distinct pleasure of presenting four of our amazing nurses with their much deserved DAISY Awards. Presenting these awards continues to be one of the highlights of my nursing career,” NVRH Chief Nursing Officer Julie Schneckenburger said. “We try to maintain an element of surprise for these well-deserved honorees. As overwhelming as this past year has been for everyone in healthcare, these four nurses were able to show an extra bit of ‘love’ to patients and coworkers and were recognized for it by their peers, patients and family members.”  

NVRH Nursing Administration Project Coordinator Jillian Knight opened the ceremony with the background of The DAISY Foundation and The DAISY Award before turning it over to Schneckenburger, who presented LaBounty, Sylvain, Gonyaw Covell, and Johnson with their DAISY honoree certificates. The honorees then received their Healer’s Touch sculptures, which are hand-carved from serpentine stone by artists in Zimbabwe and represent the bond between nurse and patient. Schneckenburger also read each nomination story during the ceremony.

“NVRH is proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program,” Schneckenburger added. “Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at NVRH. DAISY nomination forms and collection boxes can be found in units throughout the hospital and at all of our medical practices. Electronic nominations can also be completed by visiting www.daisyfoundation.org/NVRH.

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital is located in St. Johnsbury in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. We are a community, not-for-profit, acute care, critical access hospital. NVRH is one of two Vermont hospitals designated as Baby Friendly(TM) by the United Nations. The organization provides primary and preventive care, surgical and specialty services, inpatient and outpatient care and 24-hour, physician-staffed emergency services. Aligned with community partners, NVRH values and invests in efforts to address social conditions to create communities that are well-nourished, well-housed, physically healthy, mentally healthy, and financially secure. NVRH serves the health needs for over 30,000 people in Caledonia and Southern Essex Counties in Vermont and employs nearly 700 dedicated staff.