Brittany Cook, RN, recognized as DAISY Award Recipient
October 25, 2024
Starr Regional Medical Center announced today that Brittany Cook, RN, has been named the recipient of The DAISY Award for the third quarter of 2024. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is a recognition program honoring “the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day.” Nominations for the award may be submitted by anyone who experiences or observes extraordinary, compassionate care being provided by a nurse.
“At Starr Regional Medical Center, our nursing staff are outstanding champions for patient care. It is always a pleasure to celebrate and recognize their talent and compassion for the patients we serve, especially those who are nominated for The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses™,” said Deborah Vaughn, RN, MSN, Chief Nursing Officer at Starr Regional Medical Center. “Nurses like Brittany make a difference in the lives of their patients by providing the best care and acting with kindness in all they do. It is an honor to present Brittany with The DAISY Award in recognition of the extraordinary nurse she is and strives to be each day.”
Cook, who provides patient care and serves as the staff development coordinator/infection prevention nurse at Starr Regional Health & Rehabilitation, was nominated by a patient who praised her for her kindness and sincere interest in the patient’s well-being and referred to Cook as a “ray of sunshine.” The nomination form allows the nominee to include how this nurse made a meaningful difference in the patient’s care. The nominee shared the following about Cook.
“She is so good at her job. She is consistent and uses all her tools to get the job done the right way. She takes an interest in her patients and makes us feel seen and validated. She uses her kind heart in all she does. Nurse Cook is an asset to wherever she lends her talents. Please know how much your staff can make or break patients, and she is an ‘ACE.’ Thank you for treating me so well and leading the way.”
Cook joined Starr Regional Health & Rehabilitation in June 2024. Previously, she has worked in the Emergency Department at Starr Regional Medical Center and other local hospitals, and the Senior Care program at Starr Regional Medical Center throughout the last five years. She earned a practical nursing diploma from Tennessee College of Applied Science in Athens in 2018, and went on to earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing from Cleveland State Community College in May 2024.
The DAISY Award honorees are selected by a committee of nurses at Starr Regional Medical Center who thoroughly review and consider each nomination. The presentation of the award is a surprise and takes place in the presence of the nurse's colleagues, patients, and visitors. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him for being an "Extraordinary Nurse." The certificate reads: "In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people." Honorees are also given a sculpture called “A Healer's Touch,” which is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation, based in Glen Ellen, Calif., was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who 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 patient families. For more information about the DAISY Foundation, visit DAISYFoundation.org.
If you would like to nominate a nurse for the DAISY Award, forms are available in the hospital common areas as well as the nursing units on Starr Regional Medical Center's Athens and Etowah campuses. Nomination forms may also be found online at StarrRegional.com. The DAISY Award program is open to nurses only, such as LPNs, RNs, and nurse practitioners. If non-nurses receive a nomination, they will be recognized separately from The DAISY Award program.