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On December 15, 2022, Pam Hargraves's dedication to the nursing profession was celebrated among her colleagues and members of the Senior Leadership Team when she was recognized with a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. As part of the DAISY tradition, Pam received a bouquet of daisies, A Healer’s Touch statuette, and a platter of cinnamon buns to share with her unit.
Her nomination, submitted by the sister of a recent patient, was read aloud during the ceremony:
“My brother has special needs and does not always respond well to “strangers” and “strange places.” He was recently admitted [to South County Hospital] for pneumonia. He was most definitely not himself, and we were all very worried.
“The nurse manager made an exception so someone could always be with him. That way we could comfort and calm him during his stay and advocate for his needs. When he met Pam, there was a connection immediately!
“Even though he was not himself he was aware of Pam and her amazing ability to put him at ease and encourage him to do what was best for him to get better. My brother was transferred to the ICU; but even there, he was asking for his favorite nurse, Pam!
“Pam was very kind to continue to visit and check on him. Our family is very thankful for the wonderful care by all SCH staff but especially Pam for making my brother feel special and well cared for!”
Pam has been a nurse at South County Hospital since 1981. Working in Pediatrics the first 20 years, she recalls caring for many children with varying degrees of special needs and illnesses. “I think that experience played a part in recognizing this patient’s needs in a very stressful situation,” says Pam, “but sometimes you just click with a patient and he was one of those cases.”
The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes. His family was awestruck by the care and compassion his nurses provided and one of the goals they set in creating a Foundation was to recognize extraordinary nurses everywhere who make an enormous difference in the lives of so many people by the super-human work they do every day.
Cinnamon rolls were a favorite of Patrick’s during his illness. The Barnes Family asks that whenever and wherever nurses smell that wonderful cinnamon aroma, they stop for a moment and think about how special they are.
To nominate a nurse for the DAISY Award, patients, visitors, nurses, physicians, or colleagues may complete and submit the form on our website.