Stephanie Barr, BSN, RN, a staff nurse on the Medical Observation floor, was recently named the May DAISY Award Recipient for McLeod Regional Medical Center. Barr 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.

The patient wrote, “Stephanie really needs to be honored this year. She is a caring nurse. She is outstanding, and she is a super star! She makes you feel welcome.”

In a conversation with the McLeod Patient Relations team, the patient continually expressed her gratitude for the wonderful care she received on a clinical level and explained how she was brought to tears by the amount of “Christian love” that was shown to her by Stephanie and the entire staff. The patient was very concerned about the procedure she was going to have done in Nuclear Medicine, but Stephanie and the team prayed with her, sang with her, and provided her with so much encouragement to face what needed to be done. Once she arrived in Nuclear Medicine, she expressed how comforted she felt because of the staff she encountered there.

“They made me feel confident that everything would be alright,” she recalled.

Stephanie, who served eight years in the United States Navy, was also voted the 2020 Medical Observation Nurse of the Year by her peers. She is currently pursuing a degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

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.