Dayna Cook
August 2021
Dayna
Cook
,
RN
Tanana Valley Clinic Pediatrics
Foundation Health Partners
Fairbanks
,
AK
United States
What stood out even beyond all the vaccine and COVID work Dayna did, was how she did it: with a smile.
COVID has been taxing, tricky, and time-consuming. It has brought out sides of people we might not have seen had it not been for this pandemic. There have been many COVID-fueled bummers we have all heard about from others or witnessed ourselves. Yet there have also been some remarkable COVID wins, bright spots seen as a result of this pandemic. One of my brightest spots was seeing our pediatric nurse Dayna Cook be a steadfast advocate and vaccination leader while she helped make COVID vaccinations happen in adults and kids alike.
As the pandemic progressed and vaccination became the best tool available to fight this virus, Dayna thoroughly educated herself in the vaccine process and swept into action to make it happen for our community and our clinic. Not infrequently on Saturdays after working in the clinic as a pediatric triage nurse, you could find her drawing up vaccines at our community-wide mass vaccination clinics or actually giving the shot to grateful arms.
When Dayna didn't have her hands directly on the vaccine, she was overseeing protocols and helping arrange pediatric vaccine clinics the minute EUA approval was secure. She was a key player in our ability to have pediatric sleeves rolled up and ready the first weekend we received the 12 and older authorization, and she spent the next 4 Saturdays making sure shots were in adolescent arms and clinics were set up for success. Once the pediatric mass vaccination events were completed, she refocused her energy into managing how we could get more kids vaccinated while in the clinic, even coming in on days off to ensure the details were understood.
What stood out even beyond all the vaccine and COVID work Dayna did, was how she did it: with a smile. She has a relentlessly positive approach and a can-do, team-based attitude, on a foundation of total dependability that makes you want to work with her- even if it is your day off too. Her dedication to making vaccinations happen as an advocate against that hostile COVID army while leading by example in attitude and hard work, makes her a DAISY Nurse worth high-fiving (that is, after getting fully vaccinated, wearing a mask, and washing your hand just like Dayna would want you to).
As the pandemic progressed and vaccination became the best tool available to fight this virus, Dayna thoroughly educated herself in the vaccine process and swept into action to make it happen for our community and our clinic. Not infrequently on Saturdays after working in the clinic as a pediatric triage nurse, you could find her drawing up vaccines at our community-wide mass vaccination clinics or actually giving the shot to grateful arms.
When Dayna didn't have her hands directly on the vaccine, she was overseeing protocols and helping arrange pediatric vaccine clinics the minute EUA approval was secure. She was a key player in our ability to have pediatric sleeves rolled up and ready the first weekend we received the 12 and older authorization, and she spent the next 4 Saturdays making sure shots were in adolescent arms and clinics were set up for success. Once the pediatric mass vaccination events were completed, she refocused her energy into managing how we could get more kids vaccinated while in the clinic, even coming in on days off to ensure the details were understood.
What stood out even beyond all the vaccine and COVID work Dayna did, was how she did it: with a smile. She has a relentlessly positive approach and a can-do, team-based attitude, on a foundation of total dependability that makes you want to work with her- even if it is your day off too. Her dedication to making vaccinations happen as an advocate against that hostile COVID army while leading by example in attitude and hard work, makes her a DAISY Nurse worth high-fiving (that is, after getting fully vaccinated, wearing a mask, and washing your hand just like Dayna would want you to).