Littleton Regional Healthcare Joins The DAISY Foundation

LITTLETON, NH – The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. Patrick died in late 1999 at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known, but not uncommon, autoimmune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick 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 their patients and patient families.

Littleton Regional Healthcare has recently partnered with The DAISY Foundation and nurses at Littleton Regional Healthcare will soon be honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®. The Award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. Nominations for the Award at LRH open December 1, with the first recipient of the Award selected early in the New Year.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, community members, and colleagues. The Award will be presented quarterly to an honoree selected from the nominations by a committee at Littleton Regional Healthcare. Each Honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. To nominate a nurse at LRH for The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®, visit Littleton Regional Healthcare’s website to submit an electronic nomination. Paper nomination forms will also be available throughout LRH.

Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation and Doctor of Humane Letters (h.c.), Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, shared “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Littleton Regional Healthcare are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

“We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program. Nurses go above and beyond every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that,” noted Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at LRH, Koren Superchi, RN, MSN.

To learn more about The DAISY Foundation and The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®, visit at www.DAISYfoundation.org.