IHI and the Daisy Foundation™ Honor Nurses’ Commitment to Patient Safety

Nurses from Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans' Hospital and UF Health Shands Hospital will receive awards at the IHI Patient Safety Congress 2023

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and the DAISY Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2023 DAISY Award^® for Extraordinary Nurses in Patient Safety. The Hemodialysis Team at Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans' Hospital in San Antonio, Texas receives the team award. The individual award goes to Jeffrey Schultz, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, CCNS, CCRN, of UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida.

The DAISY Award, presented in collaboration with IHI, a leader in health and health care improvement worldwide, will be conferred at the IHI Patient Safety Congress 2023, taking place May 22-24 in National Harbor, Maryland. This annual gathering brings together a community of diverse stakeholders who are passionate about providing safe, equitable care for patients in all care settings.​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Registration is open and the full agenda can be viewed here.

This marks the ninth year of the DAISY Award^® for Extraordinary Nurses in Patient Safety, which celebrates clinical teams and individual nurses for their commitment to patient and workforce safety in the delivery of compassionate care for patients and families. More than 5,800 health care facilities and nursing schools across the US and in 37 other countries participate in this annual award program. Nearly 17,000 nurses and nurse-led teams, first honored within their own organizations between January 1, 2021-June 30, 2022, were eligible for the 2023 DAISY Awards.

“Every year I am awed by the caliber of candidates who are nominated for this award. It’s a privilege to hear their stories and celebrate nursing’s collective contributions to safety, equity, and compassionate person-centered care,” said Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, CPPS, IHI Vice President and President, Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety. “IHI is honored to partner with the DAISY Foundation to recognize this year’s winners and the exemplary skill and commitment they demonstrate to patient and workforce safety every day.”

Team Award

Hemodialysis Team, South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS), Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, San Antonio, Texas

The STVHCS Hemodialysis Team has typified the VA Mission and VA Core Values through its work in the face of numerous recent challenges, including a winter storm that disrupted dialysis for more than 400 San Antonio patients, COVID-19 surges that resulted in unprecedented spikes in the number of hospitalized hemodialysis patients who required in-room dialysis treatments, and supply chain issues relating to critical dialysis equipment. Despite the tremendous hardship experienced in this region and by this staff, the Hemodialysis Team elevated its level of exemplary care to provide unwavering compassion and support to their patients, their patients’ families, the nephrology department, and the San Antonio dialysis community.

“The Hemodialysis Team is a family that forms bonds between staff and patients. Not only do these nurses find ways to celebrate special moments in Veterans’ lives, but they also partner with them to improve their experience in our organization,” said Valerie Rodriguez-Yu, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, Associate Director Patient Care Services, South Texas Veterans Health Care System. “The Hemodialysis Team sets the bar, not only for STVHCS dialysis patients, but for others by demonstrating the extraordinary impact nurses have on Veteran safety and experience.”

The STVHCS Hemodialysis Team, located at San Antonio’s Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, serves America’s Veterans by providing high quality patient care to 49 chronic dialysis Veterans, while also serving the Veteran population in the inpatient units. Each team member – including 16 nurses and 10 technicians – displays a commitment to ensuring their patients have a safe, timely, efficient, effective, and outstanding experience during their dialysis treatment.

Individual Award

Jeffrey Schultz, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, CCNS, CCRN, UF Health Shands Hospital

As a flight nurse for the ShandsCair Critical Care Transport Team at UF Health Shands Hospital, Mr. Schultz provides emergent care to critical pre-hospital patients during air transport, requiring him to function at the full scope of his practice in extremely stressful situations. As part of a helicopter EMS program, patient safety is a top priority. Mr. Schultz has an exemplary safety record and helps the program maintain optimal patient outcomes.

“Jeffrey’s effective communication, advanced clinical capabilities, and excellent interpersonal skills make him a role model for his peers and colleagues,” said Irene Alexaitis, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, UF Health Shands Hospital. “He illustrates his dedication to continuous learning and professional practice through his attainment of multiple specialty certifications, further reflecting his commitment to excellence in caring for acute and critically ill patients.”

In addition to his role as a direct care flight nurse, Mr. Shultz practices as an acute care nurse practitioner, specializing in critical care management of cardiovascular ICU patients. His career is centered around evidenced-based education, increasing patient safety and advancing compassionate nursing practice. His colleagues credit him with consistently lifting up his teammates through clinical and personal mentorship while asking for nothing in return. He embodies compassion for others and is the definition of reliable.

The DAISY Award^® for Extraordinary Nurses in Patient Safety is supported by a generous grant from Baxter, a global provider of clinical technology and patient safety solutions.

About the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is an independent not-for-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. For more than 30 years, IHI has used improvement science to advance and sustain better outcomes in health and health systems across the world. IHI brings awareness of safety and quality to millions, catalyzes learning and the systematic improvement of care, develops solutions to previously intractable challenges, and mobilizes health systems, communities, regions, and nations to reduce harm and deaths. IHI collaborates with a growing community to spark bold, inventive ways to improve the health of individuals and populations. IHI generates optimism, harvests fresh ideas, and supports anyone, anywhere who wants to profoundly change health and health care for the better. Learn more at ihi.org.

About the DAISY Foundation

The DAISY Foundation was created in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of an auto-immune disease (hence the name, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) Patrick received extraordinary care from his nurses, and his family felt compelled to express their profound gratitude for the compassion and skill nurses bring to patients and families every day. The DAISY Award celebrates nurses in over 5,800 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing around the world. For more information about The DAISY Award and the Foundation’s other recognition of nurses, faculty and students, visit http://www.daisyfoundation.org/.

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