Melissa Lewis, director of infection prevention for Ashe Memorial Hospital congratulates Ruth Ann Hill, RN, after being named this year's DAISY Award winner.Two nurses standing together and smiling for a photo.
Ashe Memorial Hospital names DAISY Award winners
JEFFERSON, N.C. — Ruth Ann Hill, a registered nurse (RN) and Candace Cox, a certified nursing assistant (CNA), were recently selected as Ashe Memorial Hospital’s next DAISY Award winners.
Ashe Memorial Hospital takes great pride in providing patient-centered, high-quality care to the Ashe County Community. The DAISY Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the essential role that nurses play in enhancing the patient experience by consistently demonstrating excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care. Nurses may be nominated by patients, family members or colleagues.
"It's hard to put into words what this award means to me," Hill said. "For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to make a difference, and I saw nursing as my way to do that. Most days, I wonder if I've done everything I could for my patients. I question if I have made any difference, but when I look at the sculpture, I know that at least some of the time I have. For that, I am truly grateful."
Hill, who works on the medical/surgical floor, and Cox, who works in the emergency department, received nominations from patients and their families. Their stories were chosen by the DAISY Award committee through a blind selection process. The award is not an administrative award, but rather an award given from those that the hospital serves in the community.
“Patients and families are faced with a lot of unknowns,” Ashe Memorial Hospital Chief Nursing Office JoAnn Smith said. “They may feel vulnerable, helpless or anxious. They place trust in those caring for them, and the ability to understand these emotions and concerns is critical to healing. Our DAISY winners understand this.”
Ashe Memorial Hospital started its DAISY Award program in 2021. This year, the nursing leadership team decided to expand the program by also awarding a DAISY Award to a CNA.
Smith, Melissa Lewis, director of infection prevention, and Cynthia Dixon, director of the emergency department, presented Hill and Cox with their DAISY Awards May 7 during a Nightingale Tea in celebration of Nurses Week.
“Working in the Emergency Department can be rewarding as well as challenging and stressful,” Cox said. “I am truly blessed to be able to work with a team of people who care about the best outcome for our patients and our community. We see so many who have very little to no support at home. No matter the circumstance it always gives some comfort to know that even the little things have made a positive impact on someone's life. I am truly humbled to be chosen for a DAISY Award.”
The Daisy award is a coveted award because patients and their family members drive the nominees and winners. The award is based on the patient experience, which is how nurses choose to treat their patients and the expectations they set for themselves in serving them. It’s about how nurses make them feel.
“Ruth Ann is described by her patients and co-workers as being sweet and caring,” Smith said. “She works hard to find ways to put her patients at ease. Patients feel her gentle kindness and compassion in the way she delivers care. The nomination for her said ‘She is a perfect example of what every nurse should be and a true asset to AMH.’ We completely agree.”
As the winner of the DAISY Award, Hill and Cox each received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. They also signed a DAISY Award banner, which will be hung in their respective departments. The banner will rotate throughout the hospital with each new award winner.
“Candace always wears a smile,” Smith said. “She goes the extra mile to care for our patients. She is knowledgeable and stays calm under pressure. Working in our ED, she makes it her goal to help patients and staff as if they were her own family member. These attributes are what make her our very first DAISY CNA winner. We are thrilled to have her on our AMH team.”
In addition to Hill and Cox, Abigail Aldrich, RN, Deva Darnell, RN, Chris-Anna Donachy, RN, Kim Harris, LPN, Darlene Jones, RN, Bridget Twilley, RN, Dana Hudson, CNA, Lupe Jaramillo-Lopez, CNA, and Barry Maynard, CNA, also were nominated for the DAISY Award.
If you or a loved one has been positively impacted by the efforts and contributions of one of Ashe Memorial Hospital’s dedicated nurses, the hospital encourages you to share your story of how a nurse made a meaningful difference in your life.
Nomination forms are available throughout the hospital or online at www.ashememorial.org/docs/DAISY_Award_Nomination_Form.pdf. Completed nomination forms can be placed in the collection boxes in the hospital’s main lobby, emergency department lobby or the oncology department or mailed to the address on the form.
The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died from complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) in 1999 at the age of 33. During his hospitalization, the family was touched by the care and compassion shown to Barnes and his entire family. When he died, they felt compelled to not only honor Patrick in a positive way, but also say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way. To learn more, visit www.DaisyFoundation.org.
About Ashe Memorial Hospital
For more than 80 years, Ashe Memorial Hospital’s dedicated team of board certified physicians, nurses and staff members have provided the highest quality medical care available to the people of Ashe County and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Ashe Memorial Hospital offers a wide variety of emergency, elective, rehabilitation and preventative health services.
Founded in 1941, Ashe Memorial Hospital is a fully accredited 25 bed critical hospital located in Jefferson, N.C. For more information, please visit ashememorial.org or call 336-846-7101.
