Casey Peterson, a medical/surgical/pediatrics nurse with Olympic Medical Center, recently received a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.
The award, created by the DAISY Foundation, recognizes the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care provided to patients and families every day.
Peterson was recognized for his work in the medical/surgical unit providing exceptionally compassionate comfort care for a patient at the end of life.
The patient’s family nominated Peterson for the DAISY Award, highlighting the empathetic, professional and respectful care he provided for their loved one.
“My entire family would like to thank Casey for making my mother’s final moments, not only comfortable and painless for her, but for allowing us to feel like her final moments were centered around fostering the connection we needed with her during our final moments with her,” the family wrote.
Peterson’s DAISY Award nomination read:
“Recently, my family lost one of its most loved and cherished parts of where we all come from, my mother. Casey was the nurse on duty for the day handling my mother’s comfort care. To say that this was a difficult day for our family does not begin to explain the emotions I understandably felt.
Casey was empathetic, compassionate, professional, respectful, kind and gave my family something we certainly didn’t know would help in that moment. He gave my mother a voice when she didn’t have one. He went above and beyond continuing to treat her like a person who deserved dignity and respect. He spoke to her, he showed and shared in our pain without ever making a single one of us feel like he was simply there to do a job.
For all of these reasons and more we, together as a family, believe Casey not only embodies every one of the named DAISY Award attributes, but also embodies the strength and dedication one could only hope for in any healthcare professional or human being overall.”
Olympic Medical nurses may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues. 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 meaningful, hand-carved sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”
A cross-functional committee of healthcare workers review the nominations and select the final nominee.
Go to olympicmedical.org/thank-a-nurse for more information or to nominate an extraordinary Olympic Medical Center nurse.
About the DAISY Foundation
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family.
Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of an auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem.)
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 patient families.
Get more information at DAISYfoundation.org.
