Haywood Regional Medical Center Names Megan Gillespie, RN, and Shelly Sneed, RN, as Recipients of The DAISY Award

Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) recently presented The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ® for November and December. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. The DAISY Award recipients for this round of nominations is Megan Gillespie, RN Care Coordinator, and Shelly Sneed, Staff RN.

The November DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was awarded to Megan Gillespie, RN, who works in Case Management. Her nominator shared an example of Megan’s compassion with example of her care for a patient who was actively dying and work with their family. Case Management sees families through some of their most difficult times. Her nominator said, “She was unafraid to be honest, yet compassionate in communicating and advocating what was in the patient’s best interest” and offering comfort to the family during an especially difficult time.

Then, December’s award went to Shelly Sneed, RN. Her nominator shared that she’s hardworking with a wonderful bedside manner, even coming to check on her when she wasn’t assigned as her nurse. She ended her nomination with, “Thank you so much for blessing me with such a great nurse!”

“We have a great team here at Haywood, and Megan and Shelly are wonderful examples,” shared Susan Mahoney, HRMC Chief Nursing Officer. “We look forward to another year of DAISY Awards in 2022.”

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 their patients and patient families.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues.  The award recipient is chosen by a committee at HRMC to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org