Hershey names Pstrak, Wagner April, May DAISY Award winners
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center presented the April and May DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Awards to Alexander Pstrak, a nurse in the Heart and Vascular Institute Critical Care Unit (HVICCU), and Rhonda Wagner, a nurse in the Medical Intermediate Care Unit.
The accolade recognizes nurses for their skillful, compassionate care and their daily support of patients and families.
“Alexander Pstrak is a dedicated nurse who strives to provide the best care for his patients and help them to achieve their health care goals,” wrote his nominator. “Just recently, Alexander devoted himself to a particular patient in the HVICCU and helped this patient to meet the criteria required to be listed for a desperately needed double organ transplant.”
The mother of a son with severe disabilities said she was impressed by Rhonda Wagner’s can-do attitude. “She had never used the overhead lift apparatus that is required to put my son in his wheelchair, but quickly learned how to use it and embraced it enthusiastically,” the woman wrote in a message nominating Wagner for the award. “She was able to ‘read’ my non-verbal son and care for him appropriately. She kept me abreast of the care plan and paged the doctor if I had any questions or concerns.”
Daisy Award Mission
The DAISY Award was created in memory of Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. The DAISY Foundation was established by his family to keep his spirit alive. Its primary mission is to express gratitude to nurses for the work they do for patients and their families every day.
Who can nominate
Winners are nominated by staff members, patients and their families and selected by Hershey Medical Center’s Patient- and Family-Centered Care Advisory Council. See the award application and past winners on the Nursing Infonet site. Contact April Adley at 717-531-7289 with any questions.
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