Compassionate care displayed by latest DAISY Award winners

LAS CRUCES, NM (February 25, 2022) – Two extremely caring and compassionate nurses at Memorial Medical Center were recently honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®. The award is part of the worldwide DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate care that nurses provide patients and families every day. The hard work of all nurses at Memorial is recognized, but the care and compassion displayed by these two award recipients deserves special recognition.

The DAISY Award recipients at Memorial for the fourth quarter of 2021 are Telemetry RN Erica Hernandez and Pablo Minjarez, RN in the Postanesthesia Care Unit. Both nurses garnered the highest level of praise from family members of patients in their care.

“Erica did her job with compassion and respect. She empowered both my mother and me,” wrote a patient’s daughter. “The staff at MMC has been amazing, but Erica was a standout in my mother’s care. She was a saving grace and empowered my mother to feel success and accomplishment after many medical roadblocks had halted any independence. For that, I will always be grateful.”

“Pablo’s skill, knowledge and true concern allowed me to take a breath and feel things were going to be OK,” a mother wrote. “My daughter has spent much of her life in hospitals, doctors’ officers and emergency rooms due to her many health conditions. Pablo is honestly the most knowledgeable nurse we have experienced; MMC is lucky to have him, and he represents the gold standard that others can learn from.”

The DAISY Foundation is a nonprofit 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.

“We are proud that our participation in the DAISY Program is a powerful way we continue to honor the hard work of our nurses,” said Caryn Iverson, Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial Medical Center.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families and physicians. The DAISY award recipient is then chosen by a committee at Memorial Medical Center. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients and visitors. Each Honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

Would you like to express gratitude to a Memorial Medical Center nurse that went above and beyond? Nurses may be nominated by patients, families and physicians. To nominate a nurse from Memorial for the DAISY Award online, please visit: DaisyNomination.org/mmclc.