The Relentless School Nurse: An Unexpected Honor! HealthImpact DAISY Nurse Leader in Policy Award

What a delightful and unexpected honor to be recognized with the HealthImpact DAISY Nurse Leader Award for Advancing Compassion Through Policy. I want to acknowledge Sharon Goldfarb, DNP, RN, PNP-BC for nominating me for this notable recognition. 

The HealthImpact DAISY Nurse Leader in Policy Award is an honor that recognizes a nurse who has made significant contributions to healthcare policy at the local, state, or national level.

There is nothing more compassionate than creating policies to ensure broad access to safe, quality care, to addiction treatment, to palliative and end-of-life care, COVID treatment, and to protecting communities of color, plus more. Preventing domestic violence, increasing inclusion and equity, and creating communities of healing also reflect a society that is compassionate and caring for all.  Nurses are often at the forefront of creating and driving policy that assures this compassionate environment for individuals and communities. 

In 2020, the DAISY Foundation partnered with HealthImpact to create an award to honor nurses whose work advances compassionate care in policy. – retrieved from HealthImpact.org

My knowledge of the DAISY awards was limited to bedside nursing in acute care settings, but in fact, there are DAISY recipients for nursing leadership and policy. The DAISY Foundation “expresses gratitude to nurses wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve throughout their careers.”

I am so very honored to be recognized, but more importantly for the DAISY Foundation to acknowledge the impact of school nursing. In our world, too often torn apart by violence and stress, receiving this award now, after three years of pandemic school nursing, is truly a breath of fresh air. I was especially touched that Donna Nickitas, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Dean of Rutgers-Camden Nursing and current Interim Provost of Rutgers-Camden attended my ceremony. 

Thank you to the creators of this award for recognizing the contribution of school nurses in delivering compassionate care to our students and families. I am touched and inspired by your kindness and have deep appreciation for being an awardee. My heart desperately needed a lift after these most challenging years in school nursing and this award will always remind me of your generosity. You certainly turned the grief of losing your dear loved one, J. Patrick Barnes, into a legacy of meaningful recognition for nurses who care for others. 

Here is a link to view the ceremony: