Samuel Greene, RN, an intensive care nurse working in St. Mary's Neurosciences Critical Care Unit (NCCU), received St. Mary's first-ever DAISY Award for nursing excellence on Aug. 29. The ceremony on the hospital's 7^th Floor was attended by more than two dozen colleagues, physicians, system leaders, board members and special guests.

Greene was nominated for the award by Susan Norman, who was impressed by the compassionate care Greene provided to her husband, David, during a recent stay following his sixth hemorrhagic stroke. The Normans returned to St. Mary's to be present for the award ceremony, and both were beaming as they congratulated Greene.

"David has cortical blindness from an earlier stroke, so it is important to explain to him what you are doing and why," Mrs. Norman writes in Greene's nomination. "Samuel had so much compassion and concern that David understood what was taking place to help alleviate any anxiety associated with his care. He made David feel comfortable and built a trusting relationship."

Mrs. Norman also noted that Greene's compassionate care extended to her, as well.

"I feel that Samuel goes over and beyond his duties," she writes. "A professional in every sense, he is conscientious and respectful of how this hospital stay was affecting David and I. I felt comfortable and reassured that when I had to leave the hospital, David was well-attended and comfortable."

"Sam is a new nurse who already exemplifies the qualities of an exceptional nurse: skill, knowledge, compassion, respectfulness and selflessness," said Titus Gambrell, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. "He goes above and beyond to provide great care for his patients and to be a great colleague to everyone on our team."

Greene joined St. Mary's as a patient transporter in September 2015 while working to complete his nursing education. He received his bachelor's degree in nursing from Piedmont College in November 2018 and now primarily serves in St. Mary's NCCU.

The DAISY Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. DAISY stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The award was created by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died in 1999 at the age of 33 from complications of an auto-immune disease. The nursing care Patrick received while hospitalized profoundly touched his family, who created the DAISY Foundation to help other people publicly thank nurses and recognize the quality of nursing care. Today, some 3,900 hospitals and schools in all 50 states and 22 nations use the DAISY Award program to honor extraordinary nurses.

At St. Mary's, each DAISY Award honoree will be recognized at a public ceremony on her/his unit with a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled "A Healer's Touch." In addition, everyone in the unit will celebrate with cinnamon rolls – a favorite of Patrick's during his illness.