Three registered nurses at Avita Health System are being honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize nurses for the extraordinary, compassionate care they provide patients and families every day.

The 2023 DAISY Award recipients are Larry Koren, RN, of Bucyrus Hospital; Sandy Abouhassan, RN, of Galion Hospital; and Jacob Robertson, RN, of Ontario Hospital. All three award recipients are nurses in Avita’s Intensive Care Units (ICU).

Koren was nominated by a fellow employee for going above and beyond to ensure that a patient made it home from Bucyrus Hospital on Christmas Eve during a level three snow emergency. The patient could not find transportation upon being discharged from the hospital. Koren offered to take the patient home after his shift, “which made the patient very happy that he could be home for the holidays,” according to the nominator. Once in the car, Koren discovered the patient didn’t have food and also needed prescriptions filled.

“Larry took this patient to get some groceries, to get his medications filled, and then took the patient home afterward,” the nominator said. “He not only helped this patient in the hospital but then made sure that this patient had everything that he needed once he left the hospital.”

Abouhassan was nominated by a patient’s fiancé for providing knowledge, care and comfort.

According to the nominator, “Sandy went way above to make sure he was comfortable and she also spoke to me and wanted to make sure I was okay as well. He was on a vent for most of his stay. If we needed anything and she had access to it, she was bringing it to us.

“She comforted us in such a sincere way that I have never been part of. I felt when I left him at night that I didn’t have to worry about his care. He was in safe and caring hands. This whole team deserves to know how they touched our lives with this serious health matter. They all had a hand in saving my fiancé’s life and that is something that I can never repay each of them for.”

Robertson was nominated by a patient’s daughter for his professionalism and compassion during an end-of-life period.

“Jacob really stuck out to me,” said the nominator. “My dad was on a ventilator for several days and was able to successfully be removed on day three, and Jacob had tears in his eyes and also gave me a hug. My dad started to decline the following day and unfortunately, my family and I decided on comfort care measures. Jacob answered all and any questions we had and still was compassionate and caring to the very end. I can’t say enough about the care he gave my father during his last week on earth.”

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of patients and their families.

“The DAISY Foundation’s DAISY Award is our highest honor for nurses who provide extraordinary care and these three nurses are very deserving,” said Kathy Durflinger, the chief nursing officer for Avita Health System.

Nurses at Avita Health System may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues by filling out a form online at avitahealth.org or at one of their three hospital locations. The award recipients are anonymously chosen by a committee of Avita employees and community members. There are specific criteria and scoring for each nomination. Awards are presented twice annually at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors.

At the award ceremonies, Koren, Abouhassan, and Robertson each received a certificate commending them for extraordinary nursing. Each honoree was pinned with a special DAISY Award pin and presented with a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” which is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

Submitted by Avita Health System.