CommunityPress ReleaseHuman Interest

Rutland Regional Medical Center Nurses Honored with DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses

RUTLAND, VT – In May, Rutland Regional Medical Center celebrated and honored six extraordinary nurses with the DAISY Award during Nurses Week.

The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation was started in Glen Allen, California by family members of J. Patrick Barnes, who died from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. As a way of thanking the nurses who cared for Barnes, his family established the DAISY award program to recognize nurses who demonstrate exceptional care and support.

The DAISY awards are always very special, and this year was no exception. We were honored to welcome Tena Barnes Carraher of the DAISY foundation, to a luncheon celebrating our DAISY recipients. As RRMC and the American Nurses Association both celebrate 130 years, we also welcomed The Green Mountain Nurses Honor Guard to highlight the legacy and lifelong impact of nurses in our community. The event took place in the hospital’s CVPS/Leahy Community Health Education Center, and was attended by staff, providers, leaders, and family members of the awardees.

The DAISY Individual Award recognizes nurses for the extraordinary and compassionate care that they provide to patients in their practice environment. RRMC recognized three nurses with the DAISY Individual Award.
 
Holly Fox, ASN, RN, OCN, Foley Cancer Center: Holly was nominated by a patient of the Foley Cancer Center who said, “she consoled me and reassured me that I would be okay,” even calling the patient at home to check on them and ease some of their worries.

William Guban, ASN, RN, Emergency Department: William was nominated by a patient receiving care in the Emergency Department who said that William “made me feel so much better emotionally. He was incredibly reassuring, reminding me to ask as many questions as I needed to ask. He made me feel seen and heard.”

Christina Myers, ASN, RN, Emergency Department contract staff: Christina, a temporary contract RN working at RRMC, was also presented with an Individual DAISY Award from her agency. She was recognized for her work at RRMC as she exhibited a calm, soft, and caring manner, was attentive to her patient, and provided comfort during a stressful time

The DAISY Team Award is designed to honor the collaboration by two or more people, led by a nurse, who identify and meet patient and/or patient family needs by going above and beyond. RRMC recognized three nurses with the DAISY Team Award.
 
Maria Francisco, BSN, RN, Danielle Fitzsimmons BSN, RN, and Felixberta “Mitzi” Giffen, LNA, Medical Oncology Unit Nursing Care Team: The team was nominated by the family of a patient who was on end-of-life care. The family expressed their appreciation when they said, “They were professional, skilled, and above all supportive, and tremendously empathetic. They treated my mom and our entire very large family with respect and dignity.”

This international nursing recognition program is celebrated twice each year at RRMC, once in May and again in November.

“All of us at RRMC are thankful for this exceptional group of nurses,” stated Chief Nursing Officer Kelly Watson. “The DAISY Award provides us an opportunity to show our appreciation and celebrate the compassion, care, and skills our nurses provide for our community.”

About the DAISY Award
The DAISY Award is one initiative of the not-for-profit DAISY Foundation whose overall goal is to help fight diseases of the immune system. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and provides assistance to ITP support groups. More information is available on their website DAISYfoundation.org, or contact Bonnie Barnes, President/Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, at 707. 996.7936 or at tenabarnescarraher@DAISYfoundation.org. Nominate a Rutland Regional Medical Center nurse for the DAISY Award online at rrmc.org/patient-visitors/compliments-and-concerns/daisy-award/nomination-form/.

About Rutland Regional Medical Center
Rutland Regional Medical Center is the largest community hospital in Vermont and is supported by a medical staff of 340 physicians and advanced practice providers trained in 41 specialty areas. The 145-bed hospital is supported by approximately 1,800 employees. With a strong patient-centered focus, consistent quality performance, Magnet® Nursing Recognition, and award-winning care, Rutland Regional remains dedicated to improving the health of families and individuals throughout portions of southern and central Vermont and communities in eastern New York State with preventative, diagnostic, acute and rehabilitative services. RRMC.org








Photo captions:

May 2026 DAISY Team Award MOU Nursing - From left to right: Elizabeth Oshinaike, BSN, RN, Shared Governance Council co-president, Danielle Fitzsimmons, BSN, RN, Maria Francisco, BSN, RN, Felixberta (Mitzi) Giffen, LNA, Michelle Burnett, LNA, Shared Governance Council co-president

May 2026 DAISY Individual Award Guban - From left to right: Elizabeth Oshinaike, BSN, RN, Shared Governance Council co-president, William Guban, ASN, RN, Meighan Rice, BSN, RN, Nursing Manager, Emergency Dept, Michelle Burnett, LNA, Shared Governance Council co-president

May 2026 DAISY Individual Award Fox - From left to right: Lindsey Munger, MSN, RN, Director Foley Cancer Center, Elizabeth Oshinaike, BSN, RN, Shared Governance Council co-president, Michelle Burnet, LNA, Shared Governance Council co-president, Holly Fox, ASN, RN, OCN, Allan Eisemann, MD, Foley Cancer Center

May 2026 DAISY Individual Award Myers - Christina Myers, ASN, RN

Rutland Regional Medical Center Nurses Honored with DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses