Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/09/2022 --Alison Howard, RN, at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital, was recently presented with the DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses.
St. George Regional recently began this recognition program in partnership with the DAISY Foundation, an international program dedicated to honoring nurses. Howard is the first nurse at St. George Regional Hospital to win the award. She was nominated by by Becky Lloyd.
Lloyd was the wife of Howard's patient who sadly passed away earlier this year. Lloyd's husband, Fred, was sent to St. George Regional's ICU unit after an accident in his rehab facility in Cedar City. Unfortunately, his condition was worsening, and he was moved to the adult neuro unit and was placed on comfort care. A team of caregivers, including Howard, helped Becky to care for her husband and cope in his last days. "All the workers made me feel special and important as I was going through this, however, there was one that softened my soul and allowed me to feel and not be scared," said Becky.
The nomination letter read in part: "My name is Becky Lloyd and I have recently lost my husband. You can imagine how sad and scared I was to know that my husband would not be leaving the hospital this time. He was transferred from the ICU to the adult Neuro Unit on comfort care. I met so many wonderful nurses, techs, and CNA's while my husband was there. It took my husband six days to pass, so I was there for what seemed like forever. All the workers made me feel special and important as I was going through this however, there was one that soften my soul and allowed me to feel and not be scared. Her name was Alison. I'm not aware of her last name. She was with my husband as his day nurse. When I would come in towards eleven or twelve o'clock, she had already tended to his cleaning needs. The room was very inviting, it smelled nice and clean, organized and my husband looked clean and comfortable. She would tell me how she had washed his hair, brushed his hair, and cleaned him up for the day. She even turned on some 40's & 50's music for him to listen to. Fred was unresponsive the whole time, but she spoke to him as if he was still with us. She made what was the worst time in my life bearable. She educated me on what was happening and what was going to happen. She answered any questions I had without judgment but with real concern. She gave me hugs that made me feel better.
"I have a very high expectation of myself and the level of care that I have been giving my husband over the years while he has been sick, and she was the only one that met that same expectation. You could tell she loved her job and loved those that she cared for. I am forever grateful to her and the compassion that she had for me and my husband. She showed true charity."
Howard's coworkers, manager, and hospital leaders gathered recently to surprise her with the award. Among the hospital caregivers was Becky Lloyd and her daughter with a bouquet of daisies. Howard was celebrated and congratulated by her team and hospital leadership for her extraordinary care to her patients. "I'm only able to do what I do because I have such a wonderful and supportive team," said Alison.
Howard has worked at St. George Regional Hospital since 2017 as a float nurse and has practiced nursing for six years. She dedicated the first part of her life to raising her five children, then at 45 years old she decided to go back to school to become a nurse. She always wanted to become a nurse and now she's following her dreams and succeeding.
The DAISY Award, which is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, was formed in November 1999, by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The nursing care Barnes received when hospitalized profoundly touched his family and led them to create the DAISY Foundation. DAISY recipients receive a DAISY Honoree pin, the Healer's Touch sculpture, and a variety of continuing education and certification benefits.
"My job isn't just a job, it's working with people," said Howard. "I always strive to make a point to not identify a patient by their room number or condition. They're not a number, they're human. They are husbands, fathers, wives, and daughters. They are people that hold a lot of meaning. My goal every day is to remember whose dad or husband I'm caring for. I will treat them how I want my family member treated and I will make a human connection somewhere."
Howard is the first of many St. George nurses to be recognized as an extraordinary nurse by the DAISY Foundation. If you know someone who is deserving of a nomination, you can submit a nomination by writing to STGDAISY@imail.org. A DAISY nominee will be selected monthly by the St. George DAISY Selection Committee. To learn more about the DAISY Foundation, visit https://www.daisyfoundation.org.
About Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital
Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital is part of Intermountain Healthcare, a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, the Intermountain Medical Group with some 2,700 employed physicians and advanced care practitioners, a health plans division called SelectHealth, Homecare, and other health services. Located in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada, Intermountain is committed helping people live the healthiest lives possible by improving community health thru evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare. For updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
