Sara Ferrara is the September DAISY Award Winner!

A program to recognize the care and compassion of extraordinary nurses continues at UHS with Sara Ferrara, BSN, RN, North Tower 4 at UHS Hospitals, being named the September winner of the DAISY Award! Sara 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 North Tower 4 nurse was nominated by family members of  a patient she cared for. In their nomination letter, the family members spoke about how Sara treated their loved one with the utmost professionalism, and were appreciative of how she integrated their family into their recovery. The patient had several comorbidities and her transfer to UHS Senior Living at Ideal was delayed by recurring renal calculi. Sara was able to maintain her skin integrity and trouble-shoot ways to motivate the patient to get out of bed and ambulate. 

"I know it takes a team to provide a positive outcome, and I am also grateful to the care managers, PT/OT, speech therapy, all of the RNs, and the ancillary staff that took care of her." the nominators said, "Now she is finally at Ideal to gain strength and regain some independence. She is taking steps with a walker and one assist!  Our family is eternally grateful to everyone, but especially Sara."

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.