JEFFERSON, Iowa – Twenty-one Greene County Medical Center Team Members were recognized Thursday during the annual Partner of Nursing and DAISY Awards ceremony at Greene County Medical Center.
The nominees were surrounded by family, friends and colleagues at the special ceremony in the main lobby of the medical center. Everyone present was moved by the nominations read by nurse leaders and the administration team as everyone was introduced.
“During National Nurses Week, we are proud to honor the extraordinary caregivers who go above and beyond every day,” Butterfield said. “The DAISY and Partner of Nursing Awards celebrate not only the clinical excellence, but also the compassion and teamwork that define our culture of patient-centered care. Reading the touching nominations submitted by patients, families and colleagues are truly inspirational. It is a powerful reminder of the profound impact our nurses and support staff have on the lives they touch. Our nominees and winners embody the very best of who we are, and we are deeply grateful for their dedication.”
The 10 a.m. ceremony opened with the Partner of Nursing Awards, which was created in 2020 by nursing leadership. It celebrates and honors those who partner with them in their goal of enhancing the patient experience.
Nurse leaders introduced the six nominees for the Partner of Nursing Award. These included: Shelby Ackerman, a central sterile processing technician in Surgery; Tammy Andre, an Acute and ED patient care technician; Johnny Nelson, a Radiology Technician in the Imaging Department; Amber Reed, the Activities Director in Acute; Deana Shriver, a Patient Access Representative; and Derek Wilson, a Cook with the Nutritional Services Department.
“The framework of partnerships is at the core of efficient and high-quality patient care, and we are proud to work with all of our partners throughout the medical center,” said Director of Nursing, Jess Weiss, who presented the award to the 2025 Partner of Nursing winner. “Bringing different perspectives, knowledge bases and areas of expertise together spawns new ideas and solutions to problems. It is the way we continually develop, learning or creating new and better ways to reach our common goal of providing exceptional care with grace and compassion.”
Ackerman’s nominator wrote, “Shelby is a respectful and respected team member who is ready to lend a helping hand, no matter what, and she does it with a smile on her face. Every department needs a Shelby! Thank you for being the glue that holds us together.”
The DAISY Award program followed, with 15 nurses nominated for their outstanding efforts in caring for patients and their families. Recently retired Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Laurie Connolly, was the esteemed guest speaker for this event. She gave a moving tribute to the relationship between providers and nurses, thanking them for being the heartbeat of the organization and the foundation of exceptional care at Greene County Medical Center. “Nurses are not just our teammates, they are the constant presence with the patient,” Connolly said. “You are the eyes and ears at the bedside. You notice subtle changes, the small red flags, the things that don’t always show up in a chart or the lab results. You speak up. You call, you page, you interrupt—sometimes when the provider finds it most inconvenient, and yet those interruptions are often what changes the course of care I provide.”
Excerpts from DAISY Award nominations were read by the Executive Team for nurses Barb Broich, Brix Carstens, Noelle Clouse, Kelli Farley, Gina Geisler, Deborah Hoskins, Jordan Kral, Janey McCabe, Teresa Morlan, Lauren Schafer, Dan Scheuermann, Sydney Schiltz, Heather Shipley, Abby Skoglund and Amanda Waltz.
In a rare move, the 2025 DAISY Award was presented to two Greene County Medical Center Acute nurses who partnered to make the last birthday for a cancer patient extra special. Their nominator wrote that they were deeply touched by their thoughtfulness. The pair decorated the hospital room and organized the Acute Team to present balloons, a card and huge frosted cookie while all sang Happy Birthday. “Jordan and Brix organized this a day early to make sure he had a very special day,” their nominator wrote. “They even brought him a popsicle since he couldn’t eat the cookie. Not only did they make sure he was taken care of, they made sure I had what I needed during his stay. Thank you, Jordan and Brix, for being you!”
All nominees were presented with flowers and certificates of recognition along with a pin for DAISY nominees. In addition, Ackerman, Carstens and Kral received specially designed statuettes and Carstens and Kral will be listed in the International DAISY registry.
For more information on how you can nominate a nurse for the DAISY Award, log on to gcmchealth.com and search DAISY.
About the DAISY Award: DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System and this international recognition program was started by the family of J. Patrick Barnes in 1999. Barnes died that year at the age of 33 from complications of the autoimmune disease, Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura. His family was amazed by the care Patrick and they received during his hospital stays and wanted to find a way to recognize all nurses who give so much of themselves in their daily work.