BRUNSWICK, Georgia: March 24, 2022 – Southeast Georgia Health System recently presented The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses to Laura Townsend, R.N., in recognition of the kindness and compassion she provides to her patients.
A registered nurse in the Health System’s Brunswick Campus Outpatient Surgical Services, Townsend was nominated for The DAISY Award by one of her patients, June Paul, RN, BSN.
Excerpts from Paul’s nomination include, “I have known Laura and worked with her for many years. In December, I had outpatient surgery and Laura took care of me after I left PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit). I was still nauseated and had to hang around for a little longer than normal. She is an exceptional nurse and anticipates the needs of her patients. I was the last case of the day for Dr. Sullivan and Laura was just as concerned about my husband sitting in the waiting room by himself as she was about taking care of me. She kept checking on him and giving him updates. She got me through the nausea and helped me get ready to go home. It is sometimes hard to take care of another practicing nurse as a patient, but Laura does it so well.”
During the presentation, Townsend received “A Healer’s Touch” sculpture, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa, and Grandy’s Sinnamon® Rolls, donated by owners, and siblings, Paul and Mary Kay Spence.
Created by The DAISY Foundation™—an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System—The DAISY Award was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. 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 their patients and the patients’ family and friends. Today, more than 5,000 health care facilities and nursing schools worldwide honor nurses with The DAISY award.
Nurses can be nominated for The DAISY Award online at sghs.org/daisy-award, or nominations may be placed in DAISY boxes located throughout the Health System’s Brunswick and Camden campuses. A committee consisting of Health System team members, including clinical and non-clinical staff, leadership, medical staff and board members, review the nominations and determine The DAISY Award recipient(s).