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Please click on the arrow above to view a video of DAISY President, Co-founder, Bonnie Barnes, explaining why The DAISY Foundation was established What is DAISY?DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The Foundation was formed in January, 2000, by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP).Everyone who met Pat even once was touched by his positive spirit and his sense of humor. Twice a survivor of Hodgkin's Disease, Pat was driven by a desire to befriend others and help them in any way he could. His legacy is clear: whenever he came across anyone in need, he never turned his back. He reached out to comfort, to make them feel okay. Pat was a natural mentor, sharing his phenomenally positive outlook on life with a wide network of friends and family around the country with whom he stayed in constant contact. The DAISY Foundation was established to keep his very special spirit alive. As we brainstormed what to do in Pat's memory, the one really positive thing we could hold onto from the experience of his eight-week illness was the skillful and amazingly compassionate care he received from his nurses - even when he was totally sedated. So we created The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses to recognize the super-human work nurses do every day all over the country. This program achieves one of the four goals we established for The Foundation, the others being
Since DAISY's inception, we have found ourselves focusing more of our resources, time, and frankly, affection on The DAISY Award than on the other goals. The level of acceptance and appreciation by hospitals has astounded and gratified us. Hospital administrators view The DAISY Award not only as a way to acknowledge outstanding nursing but also as a strategic tool in managing the nurse shortage that threatens the heart of our healthcare system. Nurses who experience DAISY presentations are moved and motivated by them. In January, 2009, the American Nurses Credentialing Center announced its support for The DAISY Award for all Magnet® organizations and those on the journey to Magnet. |