Paula Fowler has been an RN in the Family Birth Center since 2004. She was nominated for this award by her clinical coordinator, Jackie Rad, after having rounded on a patient that could not stop praising Paula and the excellent care provided to her and her newborn daughter.

One evening Paula was assigned to care for this patient and her newborn daughter; during their shift assessment Paula noticed some subtle changes in the color of the infant and immediately reported her findings to the physician. This infant was immediately transferred to a higher level of care where she was diagnosed with a cardiac anomaly that ultimately required surgical intervention.

Later, this same mother arrived to the FBC stating that she chose our facility because of the great care provided by Paula. She stated she knew she would be safe here. She went on to share her story and how her daughter was doing. She told Jackie and everyone that would listen that Paula saved her daughter's life. She said that during their stay, after being transferred to a higher level of care, she met a few families that had children with her daughter's same diagnosis. She stated that their children did not have the same optimal outcome because their symptoms were not picked up on so quickly or even before they were discharged home after birth. She cried and stated how she appreciated Paula and how grateful she is for the health of her daughter.

Paula is an inspiration, she is a role model for her commitment to life-long learning, and is a constant reminder of why we are hereto care for our patients and advocate for safe, quality patient care.

The DAISY award committee at SLH has chosen to honor Paula because her grateful patient story is a shining example of excellence in nursing. We thank Paula for leading the way in nursing excellence. She truly is a patient and nurse advocate, a mentor and an all around team player.