FirstHealth of the Carolinas Inc.

01/28/2022 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/28/2022 09:14

An Asset for Patients: Emergency Nurse at MRH Honored with DAISY Award

Photo (left to right): Deana Kearns, MSN, R.N., Administrative Director
for Clinical Practice and Corporate Education, Kelly Goforth, BSN, R.N., CV-BC,
DeAngela Brown, R.N., BSN, Cynthia Gerdik, DNP, MBA, R.N.,
Administrative Director of Emergency Services and
Jacklynn Lesniak, Chief Nursing Officer.

PINEHURST, N.C. - FirstHealth of the Carolinas nurse DeAngela Brown, R.N., has been recognized with the DAISY Award for October 2021. Brown, a nurse in the emergency department at Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, was nominated by a coworker.

"DeAngela has been such an asset to our team from day one, bringing her vast nursing knowledge with her from her previous department in Reid Heart Center. Recently, we have been challenged with making a few long-term patients feel more comfortable," the coworker wrote. "On Halloween, DeAngela worked behind the scenes to arrange a trick-or-treat adventure within the department, allowing patients to have a childhood experience they would have missed."

Following the trick-or-treat event and her shift, Brown returned to eat lunch with two pediatric patients.

"DeAnglea has truly shown how you can turn a tough emotional nursing challenge into a positive and rewarding experience for all," the coworker wrote. Other nurses and staff that work with Brown said she is always a team player and steps up to help patients.

Marie Dawkins, R.N., a nurse educator in the emergency department, said Brown is an advocate for patients.

"She strives to do the best for her patients and their families. When I hear her talk to patients it is always positive and uplifting, and she spreads comfort and cheer with infectious smile to both her patients and coworkers," Dawkins said.

Brown recently became a nurse but has worked at FirstHealth since 2017, when she started as a nursing assistant.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was established by the Daisy Foundation, a not-for-profit, based in Glen Ellen, Calif. The foundation was started by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease.

The care Barnes and his family received from nurses inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patients' families.

Today, there are more than 2,800 health care facilities in all 50 states and 17 other countries honoring their nurses with the DAISY Award. FirstHealth of the Carolinas, which includes Moore Regional Hospital, Moore Regional Hospital - Richmond, Moore Regional Hospital - Hoke and Montgomery Memorial Hospital, recognizes an extraordinary nurse each month and has since 2014.

For more information on the DAISY Award, or to nominate a deserving nurse, visit FirstHealth's website.