EAGLE RIVER, Wis. –
Aspirus Eagle River Hospital honored Stephanie Van Natta, RN, with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in recognition of his commitment and patient-centered approach to care. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.
Aspirus Eagle River Hospital DAISY Award recipients are nurses recognized for going above and beyond patient expectations by providing service with respect, compassion, and integrity; generating enthusiasm and energy while carrying out everyday duties and responsibilities; significantly making a difference and listening not only with ears but also with heart.
Van Natta works in the Medical-Surgical Unit and was nominated for the DAISY Award by the grateful spouse of a patient. The nomination reads: Attitude to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say, or do. The remarkable thing is we have a chance every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it and so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes. This gift is what my family observed in the life of this young lady who cared for my wife and also showed this caring and committed attitude of other’s needs.
Van Natta and her co-workers were treated to cinnamon rolls which honor the memory of the late Patrick Barnes who once ate his father’s cinnamon roll when he was in the hospital without an appetite for food. He then requested one for the next day – and enough for all the nurses in the unit. The hope is that whenever a nurse smells that wonderful cinnamon aroma, they’ll stop for a minute and think of how special they are for being a nurse. Additionally, Van Natta received an honoree pin, certificate, and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
Established in 1999, the family of J. Patrick Barnes created the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award to honor his memory with a tribute to the skillful and compassionate care he received from his nurses during his hospitalization. Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, visitors and colleagues and they are chosen by a multi-disciplinary team to receive the DAISY Award.
The DAISY Award recognizes the outstanding and extraordinary care nurses provide every day. Aspirus DAISY Award winners and nominees exceed the needs and expectations of patients and families by displaying the Aspirus core values of: Compassion, Accountability, Collaboration, Foresight and Joy.