The DAISY Award

What is the DAISY Award?

The DAISY Award is an international program that celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care nurses provide every day. Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital is proud to be a DAISY Award Partner, recognizing one of our nurses with this special honor on a regular basis.  

Each DAISY Award Honoree is recognized at a public ceremony and receives a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled A Healer’s Touch. Additionally, everyone in the unit celebrates with Cinnabon cinnamon rolls – a favorite of Patrick’s during his illness. The Barnes Family asks that whatever nurses smell that wonderful cinnamon aroma, they pause for a moment and reflect on how special they are.

How to Nominate an Extraordinary Nurse

Patient, visitors, nurses, physicians, and other employees may nominate a deserving nurse by completing a DAISY nomination form, either in the DAISY submission boxes located on each unit or through our online form. Please nominate a nurse who consistently demonstrates the following criteria:

• Is compassionate, trustworthy, and caring in all situations
• Forms a meaningful connection with patients and their families
• Educates patients and families effectively while listening attentively to their questions and concerns
• Demonstrates clinical skill and a commitment to excellence
• Advocates for patients and actively problem-solves
• Serves as a role model within the nursing community
• Collaborates effectively with physicians and colleagues
• Goes above and beyond in their practice

About the DAISY Foundation

The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 from complications of the autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP). (DAISY is an acronym for “Diseases Attacking the Immune System.”) During Pat’s eight-week hospitalization, his family was awestruck by the care and compassion his nurses provided – not only to Pat, but to his entire family. One of the goals in creating the Foundation in Pat’s memory was to recognize extraordinary nurses everywhere who make an enormous difference in the lives of so many through the super-human work they do every day.