DAISY Award: Brandy Heathman, RN, traveled the extra mile for her patient

Congratulations to Brandy Heathman, an RN at Cox Barton County Hospital, for receiving the DAISY Foundation Award for her outstanding patient care. This national award is presented to nurses who go above and beyond for their patients.

Brandy, who works in the hospital's Medical-Surgical unit, was nominated for (literally) going the extra mile for her patient. She came in on the weekend to collect her patient’s belongings and transported them to another facility where he was hospitalized. This thoughtful gesture relieved the family of the burden of traveling, allowing them to be by his side without additional worries.

Please take a moment to read Brandy's nomination letter that was submitted by her colleague:

"Brandy has been eager to take on more complex patients in order to become a more well-rounded nurse and colleague. One of her patients had been transferred to a higher level of care, leaving behind some belongings due to space constraints. After five days, the patient’s items were still at our hospital. On Saturday, Brandy called the nurses' desk to check if the belongings were still there, as she was planning to go to Joplin and needed to confirm whether the patient had been discharged or was still in the hospital. 

The unit secretary contacted the other facility to verify the patient’s status, and they confirmed he was still an inpatient. The nurse at that facility expressed gratitude for Brandy's offer to bring the items to him. About thirty minutes later, Brandy arrived at Cox Barton, ready to deliver the patient’s belongings in a bag that was comically larger than she was.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, Brandy successfully delivered the belongings to the facility and handed the bag to the nurse on duty. Her determination to learn and rise to the challenge was evident as she went above and beyond to assist this patient. Brandy provided exceptional support to both the patient and the family, recognizing the difficulty of their situation. She aimed to alleviate the family’s concerns about traveling to a different hospital, allowing them to spend more quality time with their loved one."