Oncology Nurses Receive First DAISY Team Award at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center

The oncology nursing team at the Renzi Cancer Center at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center were recently honored with The DAISY Team Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.  

While numerous individual nurses at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center have received or been nominated for DAISY Awards, this is the first team recognition for the facility.

“These ladies make you feel at home while you’re going through one of the worst situations of your entire life. The compassion, the sensitivity and the care they provide is unmatched by any other,” read the nomination from the patient, Stacey Pryor.

While the identity of those who nominate a nurse or nurses for The DAISY Award are typically not disclosed publicly, Pryor consented to have her name used because she felt so strongly about the quality of care she received.

“There are days when you don’t know if you want to continue treatment—you’re that sick—and these ladies provide the utmost understanding and compassion to let you know that you’re not on this journey alone,” Pryor wrote in her nomination. “I honestly believe that my care was top-notch and I’m not sure where I’d be without them.”  

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes 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.  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.  

Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, CEO and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, said, "When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do.  The kind of work the nurses at the Renzi Cancer Center at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

“I’m so proud our oncology nurses have been recognized with The DAISY Team Award,” said Kansas Underwood, Chief Nursing Officer at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. “I’m even more proud to say that this is the level of care they provide each patient who walks through our doors. Every day they strive to offer light and compassion to those fighting cancer.”

For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, visit DAISYfoundation.org.