Brookings Health’s Extraordinary Nurses Honored with The DAISY Award
- June 19, 2025
Brookings Health System recently recognized two nurses with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®: Emily Brown and Major Anderson.
Labor and Delivery Nurse Emily Brown, RN, was nominated by Kayleigh Boucher. In her nomination, Boucher states, “With no IV’s, no epidural, and no doctor (not enough time for the doctor to arrive) Emily delivered my baby in minutes after walking through the hospital doors. We were so impressed with her care during this experience- we are still talking about it days later. Emily is the highlight of my birth story; she turned a scary situation into an empowering moment for me as a mom and female and I’m so deeply grateful she was our nurse.”
Emergency Department Nurse Major Anderson, RN, was nominated anonymously. In the nomination it states, “Just want to say a heartfelt thank you for the special care you gave me at the emergency unit a couple weeks ago. During my few hours there going through tests and preparing to get me to Sioux Falls hospital, we spent quite a bit of time together from Air Force Fly Boy to Navy Swabey. During our discussions I found that you stayed with me an extra hour or two after your shift ended and that reminded me – that’s the kind of care my deceased wife, a registered nurse, would have given. I think we both knew I was in trouble and your presence during these hours were above and beyond and was so much appreciated.”
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.
Last 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.