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Cathleen Booth Receives Daisy Award

Blythedale Children’s Hospital Honors Cathleen Booth, RN, CPN, with DAISY Award In Recognition of Extraordinary Nursing

 

Valhalla, NY (January 2010) -- Blythedale Children’s Hospital recently presented a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to Cathleen Booth, RN, CPN. Ms. Booth received the national award in recognition of her exceptional caring.

 

Ms. Booth was nominated for the DAISY Award by Dawn VanSickle, Assistant Director of Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at Blythedale. “Cathleen was assigned to a child who had upper respiratory congestion, and for whom getting comfortable was quite challenging. I often see Cathleen take extra time to care for her patients; however this time stood out to me because this child, who had been on ventilation therapy in the past with upper airway issues, presented with such complex needs. Under Cathleen’s care, this child was sleeping comfortably and had no upper respiratory congestion. Cathleen provided the extra care that was so important to him,” said Ms. VanSickle.

 

Ms. Booth, who joined Blythedale in 2002, holds an Associate Degree in Nursing from the University of the State of New York. In addition to being a Registered Nurse and Certified Pediatric Nurse, Ms Booth became a Clinical Resource Nurse (CRN) in 2008. She is a resident of Peekskill.

 

“We are very pleased to present the DAISY Award for extraordinary nursing care to Cathleen Booth. She exemplifies the dedication, compassion and professionalism that has made the nursing staff at Blythedale so exceptional. We applaud the vital role that Cathleen and our entire nursing staff play every day in the lives of our patients,” said Blythedale Chief Medical Officer Joelle Mast, Ph.D, M.D.

 

The award was presented by Linda Hurwitz, MS, RN, NEA-BC, Blythedale’s Chief Nursing Officer. Ms. Booth received a certificate proclaiming her an “Extraordinary Nurse” along with a DAISY Award pin and a unique Shona stone sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch” that is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Her unit was treated to Cinnabons, courtesy of the company that serves as a partner in the Daisy program.  “All our nurses show compassion and caring and we are proud to participate in the Daisy program.” said Hurwitz.  “Care is never provided alone; it is a team effort. We should all celebrate in this honor recognizing the importance of nursing and the compassionate care we provide to our children.”

 

Registered nurses can be nominated for a DAISY Award by staff, co-workers, patients or patients’ parents and family members. An 11-member committee, chaired by Linda Bove, RN, MS, Clinical Educator of Blythedale’s Nursing Education Department, will select the winning nurses quarterly based on a list of criteria including compassionate caring, inspiration of others, resolution of patient care challenges, and establishing a caring presence and healing bond with the patient and family. Committee members do not know the identity of nominees until after the voting process is complete.

 

The DAISY Award, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, is a national program that began in 2001 by the DAISY Foundation in Glen Ellen, California. The DAISY Foundation was started by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a bleeding condition in which the blood doesn’t clot properly. The family was so touched by the compassionate care that he received from his nurses, that they created the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to recognize the incredible work that nurses do every day all over the country. The DAISY Awards have also been recognized by hospital administrators as a strategic tool for nurse recruitment and retention, as the nation grapples with the current nursing shortage. Focus Brands Inc., makers of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, and AONE (American Organization for Nurse Executives) are corporate sponsors of the DAISY Awards.

 

Pictured above: Cathleen Booth (center) receives her Daisy award from Blythedale Chief Nursing Officer Linda Hurwitz (left) and Blythedale Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joelle Mast.