Starr Regional Medical Center recognizes Rachel Newberry as DAISY Award Recipient

Starr Regional Medical Center announced today that Rachel Newberry, RN, BSN, has been named the recipient of The DAISY Award for the first quarter of 2024. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is a recognition program honoring “the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day.” Nominations for the award may be submitted by anyone who experiences or observes extraordinary, compassionate care being provided by a nurse.

“At Starr Regional Medical Center, we value our nursing staff and their commitment to championing patient care in everything they do. It is always a pleasure to celebrate and recognize these talented nurses, especially those who receive nominations from patients, patient family members and their colleagues for The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses™,” said Ronald Hall, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at Starr Regional Medical Center. “Nurses such as Rachel make a difference through the care, concern and support they provide others. It is an honor to present Rachel with The DAISY Award in recognition of the extraordinary nurse she is and strives to be each day.”

Newberry received nominations for the award from a recent patient and a patient’s family member. The nominations highlighted her kindness and attentiveness to providing compassionate care.

A comment submitted by a patient stood out among the others, stating, “During my time in the hospital, I was fortunate to have encountered a nurse who went above and beyond in providing exceptional care. Her unwavering dedication and compassion truly made a profound impact on my recovery journey … Rachel’s commitment to ensuring my comfort and well-being extended beyond the call of duty, and I will forever be grateful for her outstanding care, which made a difficult experience more bearable. She embodies the essence of what it means to be a dedicated healthcare professional, and her kindness and expertise left an indelible mark on my heart.”

Newberry joined Starr Regional Medical Center in 2021 as a patient care tech for the Medical & Surgical Unit. Following her graduation from Pensacola Christian College in 2023, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Newberry transitioned to her new role as a nurse in the Women’s Services and Post-Surgical Unit, where she continues to care for patients.

The DAISY Award honorees are selected by a committee of nurses at Starr Regional Medical Center who thoroughly review and consider each nomination. The presentation of the award is a surprise and takes place in the presence of the nurse's colleagues, patients, and visitors. Each honoree receives 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." Honorees are also given a sculpture called “A Healer's Touch,” which is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation, based in Glen Ellen, Calif., was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who 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 patient families. For more information about the DAISY Foundation, visit DAISYFoundation.org.

If you would like to nominate a nurse for the DAISY Award, forms are available in the hospital common areas as well as the nursing units on Starr Regional Medical Center's Athens and Etowah campuses. Nomination forms may also be found online. The DAISY Award program is open to nurses only, such as LPNs, RNs, and nurse practitioners. If non-nurses receive a nomination, they will be recognized separately from The DAISY Award program.