Kara Polmanteer

Kara has always given excellent nursing care.She involves the parents in decision making and really was a front runner in "family centered" care. She also teaches PALS. recently she has become an advocate for one of our diabetic patients (sort of taken her under her wing) and makes sure she makes it to appointments, gets community resources, etc. I have worked with Kara for a number of years and have always found her to be a thorough and compassionate caregiver. I think she always goes up and above and this is why I think she deserves this award .

From a press release:

Hurley Medical Center announced its latest DAISY award winner, Kara Polmanteer of Davison, Jan. 3. DAISY is an acronym for "diseases attacking the immune system."

The Daisy 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). They started this award following the skillful and amazingly compassionate care Barnes received from his nurses — even when he was totally sedated. The DAISY Award For extraordinary nurses recognizes the super-human work nurses do every day all over the world.

Polmanteer has been a registered nurse in Hurley's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for 18 years.

"I am honored and shocked and surprised. It is so rewarding to work at Hurley and to care for these special patients. The best part of my job is when you help treat a critically ill child and they come back in the unit running down the hall. My grandmother and mom were both nurses, and I always knew I wanted to work with people.

"I graduated from the Hurley School of Nursing and I've never looked back. I worked on other floors and when I came to PICU, I knew I was home. I feel like I am always learning every day and you develop important relationships with our patients and families. I can't imagine working anywhere else. I wouldn't be able to do my job without our outstanding PICU team. We are a team in everything we do."

"We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY award program.  Our nurses are heroes everyday. The DAISY award could not be launched at a better time. It's important that our nurses know their work is highly valued. The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that," says Patricia Roberts, patient care services and chief nursing officer at Hurley Medical Center.

Each month, a nurse will be selected by members of Hurley Medical Center's nursing professional practice group to receive the DAISY award. At a presentation given in front of the nurse's colleagues, physicians, patients and visitors, the honoree will receive a DAISY pin and a certificate commending her for being 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."

The honoree will also be given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer's Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona tribe in Africa.

One day while Barnes was in the hospital, he asked his family to bring him a Cinnabon cinnamon roll plus enough for all the nurses in his unit. With the help of Cinnabon's parent company, FOCUS Brands, the DAISY Foundation carries on this tradition by serving Cinnabons to all the nurses in the award recipient's unit in thanks for everything they do for their patients and families.

Hurley is one of hundreds of hospitals participating in the DAISY awards nationwide. Polmanteer is one of more than 4,500 DAISY award winners.

Hurley Medical Center is a 443-bed premier public teaching hospital in the heart of Genesee County. As the region's only level one trauma center, burn center and the highest level neonatal intensive care unit available in Genesee County, Hurley is a recognized leader in clinical care and education, maintaining affiliations with Michigan State University, the UM-Ann Arbor, the UM-Flint, Mott Community College and Henry Ford Health System. Founded in 1908, Hurley provides patient care for more than 100,000 people a year.