Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreentewspapers.com
Melissa (Missy) Hart, nephrology nurse at DaVita Glenvar Dialysis, was recently honored with The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the superhuman efforts nurses perform every day.
DaVita leaders, fellow care team members and patients celebrated Hart for her continuous efforts to “go above and beyond to care for her dialysis patients and support DaVita teammates.” Hart started with Davita as a patient care technician as she worked her way through nursing school. She said she takes a whole-health approach with each patient to ensure that she provides them with the best possible care.
Recently, Hart trained a new-to-DaVita nephrology nurse. After her time with Hart, this nurse said, “I want to be just like Missy.”
“Hart’s attention to detail, genuine love for people and her determination to make everyone’s day better is palpable. Although dialysis is not an enjoyable experience, patients light up when they walk in because of their connection to Hart. Their day is brighter and they feel more confident in the care they are receiving,” DaVita said of Hart.
For their commitment to respecting, encouraging and empathizing with each patient’s kidney care journey, DaVita’s DAISY award honorees received a personalized “Extraordinary Nurse” certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a hand-carved sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”
“Nurses are such a significant part of the health care workforce, and they are at the heart of the care we provide at DaVita,” said Tina Livaudais, chief nursing officer for DaVita. “I’m inspired by the stories of compassion, empathy and selflessness that each of our DAISY recipients embodies. This award reflects the clinical excellence they deliver to our patients every day.”
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation 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, 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.
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, doctor of humane letters and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses at DaVita are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
