May 2026 Honoree
Emergency Department AdventHeath Avista
Amy McAllister, RN, BSN, ED MANAGER • Caitlin Hurst, RN, BSN, ED ANM • Andrea Wolfe, RN, BSN, ED ANM • Kathy Adam, RN • Tracie Alexander, RN, BSN • Mary Carmody, RN, BSN • Lindsey Carpenter, RN, BSN • Kelly Cordova, RN, BSN • Elizabeth Del Carmen, RN, BSN • Josh Fangler, RN, BSN • Mary Hauser, RN, BSN • Mei Huang, RN, BSN • Karleigh Johnson, RN, BSN • Carlos Mendoza-Estrada, RN, BSN • Sarah Pelle, RN, BSN • Karen Pugmire, RN, BSN • Kaleb Romero, RN, BSN • Misty Sakala, RN, BSN • Mariah Scorcio, RN, BSN • Mark Shepherd, RN, BSN • Masha Smith, RN, BSN • Brad Sykes, RN, BSN • Danielle Uresti, RN, BSN • Pauline Parises • Tracie Anderson, CNA • Becky Blunn, UC • Cynthia Markoff, UC
We are honored to recognize our Emergency Department nursing team with this year's DAISY Award for their exceptional commitment to patient care and to one another.
Our nurses are integral partners in the recent achievements of the emergency department team, including achieving some of the highest emergency department patient satisfaction scores across AdventHealth and our improved sepsis metrics in the last 6 months. These successes reflect not only their clinical excellence but also their ability to connect with patients and families. They combine efficiency, skill, and compassion, ensuring that every patient feels seen, heard, and cared for.
Equally impressive is the culture they have built. This team fosters a truly family-like environment, where support, trust, and mutual respect are present in our interactions. This is evident when you look at our improved retention over the past year. Our nursing team has cultivated strong, collegial relationships not only among themselves but also with physicians, ancillary staff, and other departments across the hospital.
This spirit of collaboration enhances patient care, strengthens team resilience, and makes the Emergency Department a place where both patients and staff feel valued and where you know your loved one will be cared for as a whole person.
***
The ED has improved almost every single metric to improve patient outcomes, their camaraderie, their love for one another, their support for our doctors, and their unwavering commitment to patient care. I could go on and on.
The Emergency Department team at AdventHealth Avista exemplifies extraordinary nursing teamwork, compassion, and excellence in one of the most demanding care environments in healthcare. Every day, this team cares for patients at their most vulnerable moments, often frightened, in pain, and facing the unexpected, and consistently meets those moments with calm, coordination, and genuine human connection.
What makes this Emergency Department truly exceptional is not a single act, but the way the entire team functions together. Nurses, providers, technicians, and support staff work in seamless partnership to deliver timely, safe, and compassionate care, even during periods of high volume and operational strain.
Through strong communication, rapid triage, and shared accountability, the team has achieved meaningful improvements in patient flow while maintaining an exceptional patient experience. Patients are seen more quickly, care plans are executed efficiently, and discharges are handled thoughtfully, without sacrificing kindness or presence.
Equally important is the culture this team has intentionally built. Recognizing the emotional toll of emergency care, the ED team has embraced a shared commitment to compassion, not only for patients and families, but for one another. This culture of mutual support and respect allows the team to remain resilient in the face of constant change and high-stakes decision-making.
Team members consistently step in to help one another, communicate clearly under pressure, and model professionalism during difficult situations.
Patients and families benefit from this unity. They experience an Emergency Department where they are listened to, informed, and treated with dignity. Whether during a fast-paced medical emergency or a prolonged, uncertain wait, the ED team ensures that patients feel cared for as people, not just diagnoses.
This collective approach has resulted in sustained patient experience performance that reflects trust, confidence, and gratitude from those they serve.
The Emergency Department team’s ability to balance speed with empathy, efficiency with excellence, and data-driven improvement with heartfelt care is a testament to their shared purpose. They do not work in silos; they work as one.
Together, they embody the true spirit of the DAISY Award by delivering extraordinary care through extraordinary teamwork, every single day.
For their unwavering commitment to collaboration, compassion, and high-quality patient care, the Emergency Department team is deeply deserving of the DAISY Team Award.
Our nurses are integral partners in the recent achievements of the emergency department team, including achieving some of the highest emergency department patient satisfaction scores across AdventHealth and our improved sepsis metrics in the last 6 months. These successes reflect not only their clinical excellence but also their ability to connect with patients and families. They combine efficiency, skill, and compassion, ensuring that every patient feels seen, heard, and cared for.
Equally impressive is the culture they have built. This team fosters a truly family-like environment, where support, trust, and mutual respect are present in our interactions. This is evident when you look at our improved retention over the past year. Our nursing team has cultivated strong, collegial relationships not only among themselves but also with physicians, ancillary staff, and other departments across the hospital.
This spirit of collaboration enhances patient care, strengthens team resilience, and makes the Emergency Department a place where both patients and staff feel valued and where you know your loved one will be cared for as a whole person.
***
The ED has improved almost every single metric to improve patient outcomes, their camaraderie, their love for one another, their support for our doctors, and their unwavering commitment to patient care. I could go on and on.
The Emergency Department team at AdventHealth Avista exemplifies extraordinary nursing teamwork, compassion, and excellence in one of the most demanding care environments in healthcare. Every day, this team cares for patients at their most vulnerable moments, often frightened, in pain, and facing the unexpected, and consistently meets those moments with calm, coordination, and genuine human connection.
What makes this Emergency Department truly exceptional is not a single act, but the way the entire team functions together. Nurses, providers, technicians, and support staff work in seamless partnership to deliver timely, safe, and compassionate care, even during periods of high volume and operational strain.
Through strong communication, rapid triage, and shared accountability, the team has achieved meaningful improvements in patient flow while maintaining an exceptional patient experience. Patients are seen more quickly, care plans are executed efficiently, and discharges are handled thoughtfully, without sacrificing kindness or presence.
Equally important is the culture this team has intentionally built. Recognizing the emotional toll of emergency care, the ED team has embraced a shared commitment to compassion, not only for patients and families, but for one another. This culture of mutual support and respect allows the team to remain resilient in the face of constant change and high-stakes decision-making.
Team members consistently step in to help one another, communicate clearly under pressure, and model professionalism during difficult situations.
Patients and families benefit from this unity. They experience an Emergency Department where they are listened to, informed, and treated with dignity. Whether during a fast-paced medical emergency or a prolonged, uncertain wait, the ED team ensures that patients feel cared for as people, not just diagnoses.
This collective approach has resulted in sustained patient experience performance that reflects trust, confidence, and gratitude from those they serve.
The Emergency Department team’s ability to balance speed with empathy, efficiency with excellence, and data-driven improvement with heartfelt care is a testament to their shared purpose. They do not work in silos; they work as one.
Together, they embody the true spirit of the DAISY Award by delivering extraordinary care through extraordinary teamwork, every single day.
For their unwavering commitment to collaboration, compassion, and high-quality patient care, the Emergency Department team is deeply deserving of the DAISY Team Award.
Thank you for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
View More Honorees