I would like to nominate Jody Wille, LPN, for the DAISY Award. As a provider, I witness all aspects of a patient's care, but the one aspect I notice the most is how that patient is treated and respected by the nurse. I have worked with Jody for many years, and during those years I was amazed at her efficiency, work ethic, and compassion. While functioning as a nurse in the clinic, she was always prepared, and had patient's previous history, medications, and concerns accurately recorded. But more importantly, she always made time to make sure the patient was valued and respected. She not only cared for their physical needs, but their emotional and psychological needs as well.

I have numerous examples where Jody would go beyond the call of duty to make sure the patient was treated with care and dignity. If I was running late, she would continually keep the patient updated, and offer them coffee, water and cookies while they all waited. One particular patient mentioned how he had no money for wood to heat his place throughout the winter. Besides making sure the patient was helped by our Family Resource Center, Jody also anonymously had two cords of split wood delivered to his place so that he had fuel.

Another time, after a home visit to a terminally ill young mother of 3, she not only provided the family with warm homemade stew and cookies but also arranged that they received gas cards, etc., so that the young woman could travel to receive her chemo treatments. After the patient passed away, Jody would anonymously send gift cards to the family so that the children could get special gifts.

If Jody wasn't working as my nurse, she would fill in as a medication nurse if needed. She also would help the nurse educators with their duties by taking the time to instruct patients on diabetes care, as well as preventative medication education.

While working as a floor nurse in the hospital, she routinely would have some of the most challenging patients assigned to her. She always made sure that the patient was properly cleansed, turned, and had fresh bedding, etc. I had numerous patients ask if Jody could be their personal nurse due to her caring attitude.

Not only did I witness Jody's act of kindness from the perspective of a provider, but I also experienced her care as a patient. She treated me as a person, not as her provider.

To summarize, Jody is the embodiment of what the DAISY Award represents. She is skillful, dedicated, kind, caring, selfless, and compassionate.

I am grateful she was my nurse for many years, and I am thankful she continues to care for patients at GMHC.