Published: December 13, 2019

Extraordinary Nurses Recognized at Avita Health System

BUCYRUS/GALION/ONTARIO – Three registered nurses at Avita Health System are being honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®, and for the first time ever, one nurse is earning The Nurse Leader Award. The awards are part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize nurses for the extraordinary, compassionate care they provide patients and families every day.

The Fall 2019 DAISY Award recipients are Anah Dubusky of Galion Hospital, Wanda Bland of Bucyrus Hospital, and Alisha Baker of Ontario Hospital. Jane Wood was presented a special honor – the Nurse Leader Award – a recognition for managers and directors who create an environment where compassionate care thrives.

Anah Dubusky works in the obstetrics unit at Galion Hospital. She was nominated for the care she gave to a mother who was facing complications during the delivery of her first child. Said the nominator: “I needed Anah to get through my delivery. She held me while I cried and made me laugh when I needed it. She is so knowledgeable and truly cares about the comfort of her patients. I am forever grateful for her.”

Wanda Bland, RN serves patients in the emergency department at Bucyrus Hospital. She was nominated for demonstrating “exceptional talent and compassion” during an emergency childbirth. The nominator noted that Ms. Bland “took control and quickly assessed” the situation when a laboring mother arrived in need of help. Due to her “calm and controlled demeanor, the mother successfully gave birth to a beautiful baby” in the emergency department of Bucyrus Hospital.

Alisha Baker, RN cares for patients in the medical/surgical unit at Ontario Hospital. She was nominated for the “extraordinary level of care given” following a patient’s total hip replacement. According to the nominator: “The level of care, attention, and kindness given by Alisha exceeded all of the RN’s we’ve encountered” at other hospitals. “Her level of knowledge is incredible. I have met many nurses over the course of my treatment – Alisha is in the top one percent.”

Jane Wood, RN is the assistant manager of the medical/surgical and intensive care units and the coordinator of the Joint Replacement Program at Ontario Hospital. With over 40 years of nursing experience, she was nominated for The Nurse Leader Award for providing a setting where compassion is valued, and staff, in turn, treat patients and their families with deep humanity. The nominator wrote to Ms. Wood “your caring has touched so many lives, your skill has relieved those in pain, and your devotion has brightened the day of so many. Jane provides the kind of emotional support that is difficult to put into words and goes far beyond what her job entails.”

The DAISY 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 auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem.)  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 patients and their families.

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

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues by filling out a form online at avitahealth.org or at one of the three Avita hospital locations. The award recipients are anonymously chosen by a committee of Avita employees and community members. There is specific criteria and scoring for each nomination. Awards are presented twice annually at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. 

At the award ceremonies, Ms. Dubusky, Ms. Bland, Ms. Baker, and Ms. Wood each received a certificate commending them for extraordinary nursing. Each honoree was pinned with a special DAISY Award Pin and presented with a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, which is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

“Recognizing our nursing staff through the DAISY Program has made a positive difference in our culture,” explained Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Durflinger. “Although we had many nominations and recognize all nominees, these three registered nurses stood out above the rest because of the significant impact they had on the patients who nominated them for this special award. In addition to celebrating our DAISY nurse honorees, we celebrate Jane Wood as our DAISY Nurse Leader. Jane consistently models behaviors that are exemplary. She promotes and enhances the image of nursing within the organization, community, and nursing profession.”