Brookings Health’s Extraordinary Nurses Honored with The DAISY Award

Today Brookings Health System recognized four nurses with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®: Shelly Deknikker, Savannah Price, Sara Klug and Nancy DeBoer.

Home Health and Hospice Nurse Shelly Deknikker, LPN, was nominated by Rachel Holm, a case manager who serves adults with disabilities and the aging population. In her nomination, Holm states, “Shelly is someone I can always rely on to go above and beyond to meet the needs of the individuals we serve, regardless of the circumstances… Shelly’s ability to problem-solve, her willingness to go the extra mile, and her capacity to make necessary adjustments demonstrate her exceptional dedication.”

Savannah Price, Sara Klug and Nancy DeBoer are registered nurses who work in the obstetrics department. The group was nominated by Ricki Boyle, an obstetrics patient who states, “All three of these nurses are exceptional. When I was 38 weeks pregnant with our first baby, I found out that she was breech. I had two choices: to deliver via c-section or try an external cephalic version (ECV). I decided to try the ECV, and it was successful, all of these nurses at my side. My baby flipped back, and we did another one at 40 weeks. It was successful and I was able to deliver normally. Each of these nurses stood by my side, held my hand through both ECVs and labor and delivery, looked me in the eyes with pure compassion and told me relentlessly I could get through it, that I was strong, and that my body was designed to do this.”

Each honoree received a certificate commending them as an Extraordinary Nurse. They also received a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called, A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. 

Earlier this year, Brookings Health announced it was partnering with the DAISY Foundation to recognize the health system’s nurses and the extraordinary, compassionate care they provide patients and families every day. Any licensed or registered nurse employed by Brookings Health System who is involved with direct patient or resident care may be nominated for The DAISY Award. Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, medical staff and fellow employees. Nominated nurses should have made a special connection with the patient and family, serve as a role model for the nurse profession, function as an integral member of the team, commit to the highest standards of clinical care and went above and beyond.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The care Patrick 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.

Nominations for The DAISY Award are gathered year-round. Those wishing to nominate a Brookings Health System nurse may do so online at brookingshealth.org/DAISY.

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic & Optical, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.