FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Nurses at Womack Army Medical Center are being honored with Diseases Attacking the Immune System Award for extraordinary nurses. The award, presented in collaboration with The American Organization of Nurse Executives, is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform everyday. The first award recipients will be announced Aug. 17.

The not-for-profit Daisy Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by Family members in memory of J. Patrick Barne who died at the age of 33 in late 1999, from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Barnes 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 patients’ Families.

Each quarter, three nurses will be selected to receive the DAISY Award. The honorees will receive a certificate commending her or him for being an extraordinary nurse. They will also be given a sculpture called a Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona tribe in Africa.
“When Patrick was critically ill, our Family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide acutely ill 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 Womack Army Medical Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award,” said Bonnie Barnes, president and co-founder of the DAISY Foundation.

“We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program. Registered nurses, license practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants are heroes every day. The DAISY Award could not be launched at a better time. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that,” said Col. Vinette Gordon, deputy commander for patient services.

This is one initiative of the DAISY Foundation whose overall goal is to help fight diseases of the immune system. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes grants for nursing research and evidence-based practice projects and provides assistance to ITP support groups. More information is available on their website www.DAISYfoundation.org.

Patients who want to nominate Womack Army Medical Center nurses for the DAISY Award should log onto www.wamc@amedd.army.mil, ask for the forms at the clinics or on the inpatient wards, or go to WAMCDaisyAward@amedd.army.mil.