June 26, 2018 – Southeast Georgia Health System presented The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses to Paula Rooks, R.N., in recognition of the care
and kindheartedness she provides every day to patients.
The DAISY Award is an international program that honors the compassionate
care and clinical excellence nurses bring to their patients every day.
Awards are presented based on nominations from patients, family, visitors
or colleagues. The Health System is proud to be among the health care
organizations participating in The DAISY Award program to recognize nurses
for the meaningful difference they make in the lives of others.
Rooks was nominated for The DAISY Award by the wife of a patient she cared
for at the Health System’s Brunswick Campus. The nomination expressed
how kind and caring Rooks was the night of her husband’s emergency.
“We are from Iowa and came to St. Simons Island for the winter.
My husband has numerous health issues and was recently diagnosed with
ulcers. He was having lots of pain in his stomach area and it got worse
the longer we drove. But of course, he didn’t tell me that. We drove
for two days to our daughter’s home in Lawrenceville and spent Christmas
Eve with them and headed to St. Simons Island on December 26. He was in
more pain than he let on, and we ended up in the ER. It was decided that
he need emergency surgery, so at 6:30 p.m., they took him to the OR. Paula
was in charge of getting me to the waiting room. She asked if I wanted
a drink and got me water and a couple cans of pop. I said I would really
like some food. She found a boxed lunch, and it was delicious. She got
me settled in the waiting room and gave me a number where I could reach
her. As I was waiting, I realized my cell phone battery was almost gone
and I needed my charging cord from my car. I had no idea how to find my
car, so I called Paula. She walked me clear out to the ER entrance so
I could find my car. I was going to move it closer, so she made sure I
knew which door to use and how to get to the right elevator to get back
to the waiting room. She even came to check on me after I got back to
be sure I wasn’t lost somewhere. She made a very stressful time
better. Thank you, Paula! After all that travel, you helped me restore
my sanity.”
Rooks was presented with the DAISY Award by Judith Henson, R.N., BSN, MSA,
vice president, Patient Care Services, in front of her peers, Health System
leadership and physicians. She received daisies, balloons and a certificate,
commending her for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” Her certificates
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.”
She also received “A Healer’s Touch” sculpture, hand-carved
by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa. And no DAISY presentation would
be complete without Grandy’s Sinnamon® Rolls, donated by owners, and siblings, Paul and Mary Kay Spence.
Created by The DAISY Foundation™—an acronym for Diseases Attacking
the Immune System—the DAISY Award was established by family members
in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes 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 the patients’ family and friends.
Nurses may be nominated for The DAISY Award online at sghs.org/daisy-award,
or nominations may be placed in DAISY boxes located throughout the Health
System’s Brunswick and Camden campuses. A committee consisting of
Health System team members, including clinical and non-clinical staff,
leadership, medical staff and board members, review the nominations and
determine The DAISY Award recipient(s). Awards are given quarterly throughout the year.