PHOTO PROVIDED DAISY winners Hunter Barger, BSN, Outpatient Emergency Department in Lock Haven; Maria Fisher, RN, Behavioral Health, UPMC Williamsport Divine Providence Campus; and Duncan Maitland, RN, ICU, UPMC Williamsport, are pictured with their awards.

WILLIAMSPORT — Hunter Barger, BSN, Outpatient Emergency Department in Lock Haven; Maria Fisher, RN, Behavioral Health, UPMC Williamsport Divine Providence Campus; and Duncan Maitland, RN, ICU, UPMC Williamsport, were recently recognized as recipients of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

Maria was nominated by a co-worker who shared:

“Maria was my first contact when I started on the unit. Her level of patience, grace and care was unmatched. Every day that Maria was here, I always felt at ease. She is always willing to help, whether it is her job or not. Maria is a wonderful nurse and a wonderful human being. I will forever be grateful for her kindness.”

Duncan was nominated by a patient’s family member who shared:

“Duncan is a fabulous nurse. My mom came to the hospital with chest pain and ended up having a heart attack. He provided excellent bedside care, answered all questions that she and our family had, and made sure we were all as comfortable as we could be. I felt reassured and safe to know that my mom was in Duncan’s care and represented the excellent care of all other nurses and providers in the ICU. For this reason, we will always choose UPMC as our future hospital for medical needs.”

Hunter was nominated by a patient who shared:

“Hunter was the most organized, friendly and enjoyable nurse I have ever had. She was efficient, courteous, respectful, enthusiastic, reliable and compassionate. She was just the most pleasant nurse.”

The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 in California by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 from complications of an auto-immune disease. During his eight-week hospital stay, his family was impressed by the care and compassion his nurses provided, not only to him but to everyone in the family. They created the DAISY Award in his memory to recognize those nurses who make a big difference in the lives of so many people.

UPMC is proud to be a DAISY Award partner. Nurses are nominated by patients, family members of patients, as well as other healthcare professionals. DAISY Awards are presented to nurses at UPMC in North Central Pa. monthly. Each DAISY Award Honoree is given a DAISY Award pin, a certificate of honor, and a stone sculpture entitled, A Healer’s Touch, handcrafted by a tribe in Zimbabwe. Anyone can nominate a nurse for the award including co-workers, patients, patient family members, or physicians. To nominate a nurse, visit UPMC.com/ThankaNurse.