MUSC Health Black River Medical Center announces newest DAISY Award recipient

CADES — MUSC Health Black River Medical Center would like to announce that Kim James, a registered nurse in the Medical Surgical Unit, is the newest recipient of the DAISY award. The DAISY award is given to a nurse whose job performance exemplifies the mission, vision, and values of MUSC Health. The recipient must also keep a consistent focus on meeting patient-family goals, collaborate with the healthcare team to meet patients’ needs, use critical thinking to deliver extraordinary patient care, and demonstrate a caring attitude, as well as professionalism in the workplace during all situations, according to the hospital announcement. 

A co-worker nominated Kim for the DAISY Award after witnessing her care for a patient. The co-worker said a patient had been discharged from the emergency department but wasn’t able to contact any family members to pick them up. Kim, a MedSurg nurse, noticed the patient in need and jumped in to help. After talking to the patient, she was able to contact a family member and then secure transportation home from the hospital. In the true spirit of care and compassion, Kim also was able to send the patient home with a food box.

“She kept the patient calm the whole time and reassured them,” said the co-worker on the nomination.

The DAISY Award recognizes extraordinary people in the field of nursing.  Any licensed or registered nurse, or nursing student is eligible for the award. 

DAISY Award honorees are celebrated with a certificate and a beautiful hand-carved Healer’s Touch sculpture from Zimbabwe. They also receive an Honoree pin, a congratulations banner to hang in their unit, a copy of their nomination, a gift bag and cinnamon rolls to share, according to the DAISY Foundation website.  After the DAISY Honoree is presented with the award, they are added to the DAISY Foundation website and then the nurse is eligible for numerous professional development opportunities, education and wellness benefits including grand opportunities.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family.  The hospital announcement said that “Patrick 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. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.)  The care Patrick 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.”

Nurses can be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues.  Recipients of the DAISY Award are chosen quarterly by the DAISY committees at MUSC Health Florence Medical Center, MUSC Health Marion Medical Center, and MUSC Health Black River Medical Center.

More than 220,000 nurses have been honored in more than 6,500 healthcare organizations and schools of nursing across the globe. More than 2.5 million nominations have been written by patients, families, and colleagues.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research, and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $298 million in research funds in fiscal year 2022, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu. As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (including owned and equity stake), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development; more than 350 telehealth sites and connectivity to patients’ homes; and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2022, for the eighth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org. MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.1 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.

The DAISY Award winner Kim James, Nurse Practitioner for MUSC Black River Medical Center. Photo provided.