Blythedale Children's Hospital recently presented a DAISY Award for
Extraordinary Nurses to Dawn Valzania, RN, CPN. Ms. Valzania received the
national award in recognition of her exceptional caring.
Ms. Valzania was nominated for the DAISY Award by Kimberly Everett, Nursing
Director of the Infant and Toddler Unit at Blythedale. "We have had a baby
on the unit who has presented some challenges in terms of keeping her
comfortable and pain-free. Dawn has been an attentive and dedicated advocate
for this little girl. She has been innovative in controlling her pain and
identifying alternative means of comforting her," said Ms. Everett. "While
this little girl does not have the benefit of parent involvement, Dawn has
been instrumental in ensuring that her needs have been met and that she will
have every opportunity to meet her fullest potential. This has included
maximizing her ability to interact with her environment and starting her on
a protocol to wean her from mechanical ventilation. Dawn has been a tireless
advocate on her behalf and has, in essence, given this infant a voice."
Ms. Valzania began her career at Blythedale in 2004 as a Licensed Practical
Nurse (LPN). She became a Registered Nurse (RN) in 2005 and a Certified
Pediatric Nurse (CPN) in 2008. Ms. Valzania graduated from Westchester
Community College in 2005 with an Associate Degree in Nursing. She is a
resident of Croton-on-Hudson, NY.

Larry Levine, President and CEO of Blythedale, congratulated Ms. Valzania as
well as the entire nursing staff. "We are truly blessed by the extraordinary
talent, compassion and dedication of our nursing staff. The DAISY Award is
one way of expressing personal, heartfelt appreciation to nurses, such as
Dawn, for the vital role they play every day."


Ms. Valzania received a certificate proclaiming her an "Extraordinary Nurse"
along with a DAISY Award pin. She also received a unique Shona stone
sculpture called "A Healer's Touch" that is hand-carved by artists of the
Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

Registered nurses can be nominated for a DAISY Award by staff, co-workers,
patients or patients' parents and family members. An 11-member committee,
chaired by Linda Bove, RN, MS, Clinical Educator of Blythedale's Nursing
Education Department, will select the winning nurses quarterly based on a
list of criteria including compassionate caring, inspiration of others,
resolution of patient care challenges, and establishing a caring presence
and healing bond with the patient and family.

The DAISY Award, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, is a
national program that began in 2001 by the DAISY Foundation in Glen Ellen,
California. The DAISY Foundation was started by the family of J. Patrick
Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic
purpura, a bleeding condition in which the blood doesn't clot properly. The
family was so touched by the compassionate care that he received from his
nurses, that they created the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to
recognize the incredible work that nurses do every day all over the country.
The DAISY Awards have also been recognized by hospital administrators as a
strategic tool for nurse recruitment and retention, as the nation grapples
with the current nursing shortage. Focus Brands Inc., makers of Cinnabon
cinnamon rolls, and AONE (American Organization for Nurse Executives) are
corporate sponsors of the DAISY Awards.