DAISY Statue Honors Nurses for Hard Work and Dedication

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A statue to commemorate the hard work and loyal service of VCU nurses recently was dedicated at the VCU Medical Center.

The statue, called “The Healer’s Touch,” is a large-scale replica of the award given to each nurse who is selected for a Diseases Attacking the Immune System, or DAISY, award.

DAISY awards are given by the DAISY Foundation, which was founded in 1999 by Mark and Bonnie Barnes after their son Patrick’s death due to Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The foundation was created to commemorate their son’s memory and to thank nurses for the compassionate care they gave to him and others.

“This award recognizes and honors the extraordinary work of nurses,” said Deborah Zimmermann, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services at the VCU Medical Center, during the statue's dedication ceremony.

Each year, nurses are nominated for the DAISY award by patients and their families. To date, the VCU Health System has reviewed 760 nominations for nurses who provided outstanding care to patients. Thirty of those nurses nominated received the DAISY award. Three faculty members from the VCU School of Nursing have also received a DAISY award.

DAISY Foundation co-founder Bonnie Barnes said they commissioned the awards and the large-scale statue to be a symbol of the relationship nurses have with their patients. The statue includes two figures, and like the smaller awards, it was created by artisans in Zimbabwe.

“It’s the power of nursing here, reaching around the world,” said Bonnie Barnes of the foundation’s employment of Zimbabwean artisans.

 

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