Our most recent DAISY Award winner is Tamera Compasso!

A program to recognize the care and compassion of extraordinary nurses continues at UHS with Tamera Compasso, BSN, RN, CDCES, CPT, UHS Primary Care Walton, being named the January winner of the DAISY Award! Tamera was recognized and presented with the award for the achievement and enjoyed cinnamon rolls, a symbolic treat in honor of Patrick Barnes, whose experience inspired the award.

The Primary Care nurse was nominated by a patient she cared for. In the nomination letter, the patient wrote about how she was overwhelmed and not sure how to manage her new normal after undergoing a triple bypass CABG and getting a diabetes diagnosis. Upon starting Cardiac Rehab and sharing her frustrations, her head nurse reached out to Tamera, who came over to meet with the patient immediately. The patient continues to credit Tamera for saving her life because of the time she took to help the patient understand her new diagnosis, what she could eat and how to manage her condition right. Tamera supplied the patient with various educational materials and gave her contact information so she could continue to help the patient. These thoughtful actions gave the patient confidence to manage her diabetes. 

"Tammy has saved my sanity and my life. She has helped me gain an understanding of my new normal.  How to not just live but also thrive despite my diagnosis, and to finally feel like I have a champion in my corner who's paying attention to me and not some nameless profile," said the nominating patient. "She embodies everything that this award stands for and is an incredible role model, in my opinion, for any provider. She is my angel on earth through this crazy new journey"

Thank you to Tamera for displaying such Compassion and Respect to your patients, a stellar example of our team living "The UHS Way!"

The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after the Seattle man died from complications of the auto-immune disease ITP in 1999. During his hospitalization, the family members deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown to Patrick and his loved ones. When he died, they felt compelled to say thank you to nurses in a very public way. To learn more, visit DAISYFoundation.org. 

Started at UHS in April 2021, nurses are nominated by anyone in the organization - patients, family members, other nurses, physicians, other clinicians and staff - anyone who experiences or observes extraordinary care being provided by a nurse.

Nominations are submitted by using a form found on NYUHS.org. On this form, the person will be able to tell the story of why they are nominating the nurse while also choosing which UHS Value (Compassion, Trust, Respect, Teamwork, Innovation) the nurse displayed.

If you have any questions, please contact Toni Nash at (607) 763-6896 or send an email to daisy@nyuhs.org.