EXTRAORDINARY NURSING RECOGNIZED AT

NORTHERN INYO HOSPITAL

Joey Zappia, with long time Northern Inyo Employees (and parents) Joe and Betty Jo Zappis

Joey Zappia, with long time Northern Inyo Employees (and parents) Joe and Betty Jo Zappia

Nurses at Northern Inyo Hospital are being honored with The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

Joey Zappia, was honored with the second DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses from Northern Inyo Hospital. Joey was an IT tech for over a decade before he was in an accident which almost took his life.  He was so inspired by the excellent nursing care he received as a patient, he changed careers to give back some of the kindhearted caring he experienced.  “As a nurse, Joey’s clinical and assessment skills are excellent.  He is intelligent and compassionate, truly a patient advocate in every sense of the word.” Because of his efforts, “all of nursing can provide excellent care with minimal interference by the hospital information system,” according to the coworkers who nominated Joey.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes.  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.  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.

Twice a year, a nurse will be selected by Northern Inyo Hospital’s nursing selection committee to receive The DAISY Award.  At a presentation given in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients, and visitors, the honoree will receive 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.”  The honoree will also be given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.

One day while Pat was in the hospital, he asked his family to bring him a Cinnabon® cinnamon roll plus enough for all the nurses in his unit.  With the help of Cinnabon’s parent company, FOCUS Brands, The DAISY Foundation carries on this tradition by serving Cinnabons to all the nurses in the Award recipient’s unit in thanks for everything they do for their patients and families.

Said Bonnie Barnes, President and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do.  The kind of work the nurses at Northern Inyo Hospital are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

Said Interim Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Decker, “We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program.  Nurses are heroes every day.  Given the current national nursing shortage, The DAISY Award could not be launched at a better time.  It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

For a complete listing of hospitals currently running the program, please go to www.DAISYfoundation.org

This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation whose overall goal is to help fight diseases of the immune system.  Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and provides assistance to ITP support groups.  More information is available on their website www.DAISYfoundation.org.

Northern Inyo Hospital is a 25-bed, Critical Access, not-for-profit hospital located in scenic Bishop, California. The only hospital for 150 miles that is accredited by The Joint Commission, Northern Inyo Hospital has been providing high quality healthcare in the Eastern Sierra since 1946.

 

 

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