Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Honors Outstanding Nurse with DAISY Award

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Joy Fey, RN, received Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s DAISY Award, a national honor that recognizes the contributions of extraordinary nurses.

Joy was chosen because she has demonstrated the highest degree of compassion for her patients. She has a reputation of exceeding her job duties and responsibilities to ensure the safety and well being of her patients.

For example, one of Joy’s patients was very ill; Joy learned this patient’s daughter was getting married soon. Because the patient was too ill to attend the wedding, Joy and some of the other nurses joined efforts to have a wedding held in the patient’s room. It was of the utmost importance to the daughter that her mom was present for her wedding. Joy made it her priority to make sure this family’s wishes were met, and the wedding was successfully carried out in the patient’s room.

“This is just one example of the great nurse Joy truly is,” said Janet Leatherwood, Chief Nursing Officer of Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.  “She is a shining light to anybody who meets her. While her knowledge and nursing skills are very sharp, it is her heart that really shines and proves that her name, Joy, truly fits her personality.”

In honor of her DAISY Award, Joy received a certification of appreciation, a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful sculpture titled “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe.  Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Nursing Administration group will select a DAISY Award winner each quarter.

The DAISY Foundation was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died in 1999 from an auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses inspired this unique award as a way of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.  Today, more than 1,300 hospitals across the U.S. participate in the program.

One day while Patrick was in the hospital without an appetite, he was able to eat some of his father’s cinnamon roll.  The next day, he asked his family to bring him his own cinnamon roll, plus enough for all the nurses in his unit! Today, the DAISY Foundation carries on this tradition by serving cinnamon rolls to all the nurses in the award recipient’s unit as a reminder that their efforts are appreciated.

“We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program,” said Leatherwood. “Nurses like Joy are everyday heroes who demonstrate excellence through clinical expertise and compassionate care, and we are excited to be able to recognize her – and our future winners – as outstanding role models for the nursing profession.”

To learn more about Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit www.MethodistSugarLand.com or facebook.com/MethodistSugarLand to congratulate Joy on her award.