St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital nurse receives DAISY Award
A registered nurse who works in the critical care unit at St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital has received St. Mary’s most recent systemwide DAISY Award for Nursing Excellence.
Shaley Smith was nominated by a patient’s adult daughter who was grateful for the care she provided not only to the patient but to the whole family.
“My mother was upset about having to have a procedure,” the family member wrote. “She comforted her and even brought her a warm chocolate chip cookie to make my mom smile. She made my mother’s experience great. She listened to her needs and did her best to explain stuff to us that we didn’t understand. There should be more people like Shaley in this world.
“Shaley, you are definitely in the right line of work. You were truly a blessing to our family,” the nomination concludes.
Shaley’s manager, Brooke Byrum, agrees. “Shaley is one of the kindest people I know. Her bedside manner is exceptional! Her devotion to her patients is evident each day. She has such a spirit about her that you know she will fight and fight hard for her patients. She is everything a nurse should be!”
Shaley lives in Stephens County. When not at work, she enjoys reading, baking cookies, and especially spending time on the water with her father and brother, getting pedi/mani-cures with her mother, and driving in the mountains with her husband.
“We are extremely proud of Shaley and all of our DAISY Award recipients,” said Ann Gomes, St. Mary’s DAISY Award Committee coordinator and director of orthopedics at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens. “This award demonstrates the vital role nurses play not only as care providers at the bedside but with families and colleagues as well. Congratulations, Shaley!”
About the DAISY Award
The DAISY Award is an international recognition program that celebrates the skillful and compassionate care nurses provide day in and day out. It was created in gratitude for the nurses who provided care to Patrick Barnes, a 33-year-old husband and father who lost his fight against a deadly autoimmune disease in 1999. His family created the DAISY Foundation, which now partners with more than 5,000 hospitals and schools in all 50 states and around the world to honor and inspire extraordinary nurses. Learn more about the DAISY Award at https://www.daisyfoundation.org/.
At St. Mary’s, each DAISY Award recipient is recognized at a public ceremony with their colleagues. They receive a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, and a stone sculpture entitled “A Healer’s Touch” that is hand-carved by sculptors in Zimbabwe. In addition, they and their colleagues are invited to celebrate the occasion with cinnamon rolls, a treat Patrick would request – even though he couldn’t eat them – as a thank-you to the nurses caring for him.
Anyone can nominate a St. Mary’s nurse for the DAISY Award, including patients, patients’ family members, providers, and colleagues. Any nurse in the St. Mary’s system is eligible, including those at all three hospitals as well as home health care/hospice services and medical group offices. The nomination simply asks you to share your story of why a nurse is special to you. St. Mary’s honors eight nurses each year.
There are two ways you can nominate a St. Mary’s nurse for the DAISY Award:
- Visit St. Mary’s DAISY Award webpage at https://www.stmaryshealthcaresystem.org/for-patients/after-your-stay/daisy-award
- Contact Melissa McDaniel, Marketing Administrative Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator, at 706.389.3892.