Bassett Launches DAISY Awards for Nursing Excellence Network Wide

Bassett's nursing leaders were pleased to launch the newly revamped, network-wide DAISY Awards for Nursing Excellence program last month.

The program officially started when two Annual DAISY Awards were presented at the Annual Network Dinner at the Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown. Tiffany Sullivan, RN, nursing manager at A.O. Fox Hospital received the Team Leader Award at the dinner, while the Team Award was presented to Dawn Baciuska, LPN, and Amy Pingitore, LPN, at Bassett Health Center – Greene.

"We are so happy to bring this international nurse recognition program here," says Julie Rose BSN, RN who serves as DAISY Award Coordinator for the network. "Bassett nurses are dedicated, hardworking caregivers and they deserve it.

The DAISY Awards originally came to Bassett in 2017 with a program at A.O. Fox and BMC. The program was paused during the latter half of the COVID-19 pandemic given the challenges of gathering to recognize recipients. This reboot adds new award categories while also greatly expanding the program to nurses throughout the network.

While the Team Award and Team Leader Award are annual, there will be six Direct Care Nurse DAISY Awards presented each quarter to nurses working in direct patient care. Those six include:

• 2 for Bassett Medical Center for nurses in Inpatient, Surgery, ED, Ambulatory, and Radiology
• 1 for A.O. Fox/Tri-Town for nurses in Inpatient, Surgery, ED, Ambulatory, Radiology and the Nursing Home.
• 1 for Cobleskill Regional Hospital, Little Falls, and O'Connor (the critical access hospitals)
• 2 for Health Centers, School-based Health Centers, at Home care, VHS, VRS, and Specialty clinics 

The first quarterly awards will be presented in December.

Award recipients receive a certificate, a hand-crafted statue, a pin to wear on their ID badges, flowers, and various benefits from the DAISY Foundation. Nurses who are nominated but not selected also receive a small pin.

Nurses are nominated for this prestigious award by patients, staff or leadership. After any personal, identifying information is removed from nominations, recipients are chosen by a committee of managers, administrators and educators across the network who do not serve in direct patient care roles. Email NetworkDAISYaward@bassett.org to nominate a Bassett Healthcare Network nurse, nursing team, or nursing leader, or fill out our online nomination webform.

The DAISY Award is an international nurse recognition program that celebrates the kindness and skill nurses bring to patients and families every day. Learn more about the DAISY Award by visiting The DAISY Foundation's website.