The 2025 DAISY Team Award goes to the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit

UHS has expanded the DAISY Awards beyond individual nurses to include an annual team award.  The team recognition will be held every year during National Nurses Week.  This year the DAISY Team Award goes to UHS Wilson Medical Center's Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU).

Making abnormal times more comfortable

The CVICU team takes care of people who have serious heart problems, often after or immediately before having open heart surgery. The team has done so by living the Values of UHS and the standards of the DAISY Awards program.  The team was nominated by a patient they cared for, who was blown away by the care she received.

In her nomination letter, the patient talked about the amazing care she received from the nurses, aides, assistants, phlebotomists, and radiologic technologists on the unit. She witnessed kindness, compassion and love from the staff, which often include words of encouragement such as “Your spirit will keep you strong" and “I believe in you.” Everyone on the team was incredible, making sure she was comfortable which made a big difference to her. 

The patient mentioned nurse April, nurse Hollie, nurse's aide Ata, nurse Tyler, and nurse Heidi for their high level of compassion and respect, ensuring she was safe at every move and showing how important her well-being was. The way they checked in and engaged her in conversation gave her a feeling of normalcy during a time when it was not easy to feel that way.

"I believe stories connect us. They help us understand and provide us with an appreciation for others. The stories of April, Hollie, Ata, Tyler, and Heidi are woven into their work," said the nominating patient. "Their collective gifts of compassion, empathy, passion, respect, kindness, humor, and professionalism in the medical field are remarkable. I am not sure quite how it happened, but I am forever grateful our stories crossed paths on this journey. Thank you, UHS, for the incredible care."

Thank you to the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit team for displaying such Compassion and Respect to your patients, a stellar example of our team living "The UHS Way!"

Honoring a team

UHS has been honoring our nurses by presenting the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award, an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day.

The DAISY Foundation was established by Mr. Barnes’ family members after he died from complications of the autoimmune disease ITP in 1999. During his hospitalization, they deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown by the nurses.  When he died, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way. To learn more, visit DAISYFoundation.org.

DAISY recognizes that while achieving better patient and family outcomes may start with one individual, it often takes an entire team to implement such advances successfully. The team award is designed to honor collaboration by a team that goes above and beyond the traditional nursing role to deliver kind and compassionate care.

Nominations encouraged

Nominations are submitted by using a form found on nyuhs.org.  On this form, the person will be able to tell the story of why they are nominating the nurse while also choosing which UHS Value (Compassion, Trust, Respect, Teamwork, Innovation) the nurse especially displayed.

If you have any questions, please contact Toni Nash at (607) 763-6896 or send an email to daisy@nyuhs.org.