McLeod Nurse Receives DAISY Award

McLEOD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER 17 JUNE 2022

Meagan Blankenship, RN, a Staff Nurse on the Cardiovascular Surgery floor, was recently named a DAISY Award Recipient for McLeod Regional Medical Center. Meagan was nominated by a patient for her extraordinary care and compassion.

To recognize those Nurses at McLeod Regional Medical Center who are true examples of Nursing Excellence, patients, family members and co-workers may nominate nurses for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

On the nomination form, the patient wrote, “When you need Meagan, she is there and answers all of your questions. She has it all. It is difficult for me to explain in words how I feel about Meagan. She is truly an excellent nurse and person in many ways.

“For one thing, she has the perfect personality for what she does. She has an understanding of patients and a sense of humanity. It seems as if she knows when you need her even when you haven’t called her. She pays attention to everything about you. I didn’t go without anything. Even when I wasn’t in the room, she saw to it that I had a meal. Meagan is so very deserving of this award.”

About the DAISY Nursing Award
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, California, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique way of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Nurses may be nominated for their strong clinical skills and the compassionate care they provide. Nomination forms are available on each nursing unit at McLeod Regional Medical Center or can be found at www.McLeodNursing.org.

Recipients of the DAISY Award are chosen by the DAISY committee, led by nurses at McLeod Regional Medical Center. Awards are given throughout the year at presentations in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients, and visitors. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” The honoree is also given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.