Extraordinary Nurse Recognized at McKenzie Health

December 12, 2023

Released by:  McKenzie Health

Extraordinary Nurse Recognized at McKenzie Health

Watford City—Laura Olson of McKenzie Health was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. One nomination submitted read: “Laura provides such good care for the residents in the nursing home. She has a happy demeanor day in and day out, is very knowledgeable and gets things done promptly.”  Additionally, the nomination cited Laura’s compassion for others, attention to detail, and heartwarming relationships she builds with those around her.

Having received a second nomination, another nominee stated, “My father wears an AFO brace and is unable to walk without it. He also has an ulcer on his foot which requires nightly care. Laura assists my father on days she works to ensure toe spacers are in place and applies moisturizer to my Dad’s foot. When my Dad’s brace became unusable due to the upper strap coming loose, Laura personally made additional trips to my Dad’s room to assist him and check on him while I was having the strap fixed in Bismarck. On a separate occasion, when my Dad was more confused than normal, Laura was brilliant to associate the reduced cognitive function with an infection which she discovered during a thorough assessment of my Dad’s skin integrity. She notices small details and makes informed decisions that greatly improve my Dad’s quality of life as in the instance where she understood that my Dad would not call for help and without his brace, he was likely to fall if he tried to get up. She anticipated his needs and understood his habits so well that she timed her trips to his room to be ideal for assisting him. Laura has gained my Dad’s trust in a way that no other nurse has been able to do. I am thankful and grateful for the consistently excellent and compassionate care that Laura provides.”

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation 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.

Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, Doctor of Humane Letters (h.c) 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 McKenzie Health are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

Said Director of Nursing, Cheryl Faulkner, “I am thrilled that McKenzie Health has joined the over 6,0000 healthcare facilities to offer this to the nurses that work at our facility. I am pleased that Laura is our first recipient in this celebration and recognition of our nursing staff.”

Niki Kirkland, Director of Nursing for the Good Shepherd Home, added, “Laura is the perfect example of an exceptional nurse. Her work ethic and dedication to our residents is beyond anything I have witnessed in my 26 years in healthcare. It is a pleasure and honor to observe her interactions with the residents and staff with empathy and compassion.”

If you or a loved one has received extraordinary care, please nominate your nurse for the DAISY Award!

You can apply by written or digital application. To apply online, please visit mckenziehealth.com/daisy-award-nomination/.

Pete Edis, CEO of McKenzie Health said, “We are proud to have implemented the DAISY Award recognition program at McKenzie Health. Laura Olson is the first-ever recipient of the DAISY Award at our facility, and she exemplifies core values embraced by our organization. Congratulations to Laura and thank you to our excellent nursing staff for the care and dedication provided to our patients each day!”

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MEDIA CONTACT

Lynn Welker-Fevold, MMHC, ACHE
307-399-4145
lwelker@mchsnd.org