Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley announces 2017 Daisy Award winners

Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley is happy to announce its 2017 Daisy Award winners: Debbie Cummings and Kim Mapes.

The Daisy Award is an international recognition program for nurses that was established in 1999 by a family of a patient who received skillful and compassionate care during an eight-week hospitalization. The family wanted to say "thank you" to nurses everywhere through The Daisy Award.

Today, more than 2,500 healthcare facilities in all 50 states and 15 other countries, committed to honoring nurses with The Daisy Award. According to the organization, "The strategic impact of the program on nurses and their organizations is deep, affecting nurses' job satisfaction, retention, teamwork, pride, organizational culture, healthy work environment and more."

A call-out for nominations of AHTV nurses went out last month in conjunction with the annual Nurses Week celebration held at the hospital. They were then reviewed by nursing leadership - which was not easy, considering all the amazing submissions! Here are some summaries of why these outstanding nurses received this award for 2017 - we congratulate and thank them for their excellent, Sacred Work:

Debbie Cummings, Med/Surg Department

From patients, peers and family members:

• Always available to help co-workers

• Constantly demonstrates patience, compassion and kindness

• Always goes the extra mile for her patients and co-workers

• Does everything in her power to provide comfort to patients

• Connects with every patient; shows them dignity and respect

• Patients request her by name because of her impeccable care

Kim Mapes, Emergency Department

From a patient:

In November, I came in to the Emergency Room in Tehachapi and Kim took amazing care of me from triage to transport to San Joaquin Community Hospital. She reassured me time and time again. Made sure I understood what was going on with my diagnosis and treatment. She managed to get my pain under control as quickly as possible. Made me laugh too throughout the ordeal!

Another instance of Kim's Daisy-worthy work:

Though the patient did not nominate her, we knew that a woman in labor came to the Emergency Room and was too far along in her labor to transfer safely, but the baby wasn't progressing. There was some thought given to an emergency C-section, but Kim - a Labor & Delivery nurse -- worked with the woman in labor and was able to coach the woman through labor and delivered a healthy baby in our ER.