Celebrating Our Extraordinary Nurses: The DAISY Awards at Grand Itasca

Throughout the year, we have collected DAISY Award nominations from patients, families, and colleagues to celebrate the extraordinary nurses who go above and beyond. With an incredible 193 nominations received, we are excited to recognize our nursing staff's exceptional care and compassion.

Each quarter, our committee reviews these nominations and selects a few finalists. From these finalists, we narrow down to the top three honorees of the year. We are proud to announce our 9 DAISY finalists for this year:

• Vicki Geving, RN - Oncology
• Dawn Hayes, RN - DI Nurse Navigator
• Rae-Jean Peterson, RN - Clinic
• Rachel Johnson, RN - Emergency Room
• Karisa Neururer, RN - Emergency Room
• Jeniffer Pellersels, RN - Emergency Room/MSP
• Elisa Schaar, RN - WHB
• Julie Skorczewski, RN - ICU/WHB
• Trisha Solem, RN - Emergency Room

The DAISY Foundation honors the extraordinary efforts of nurses like these who make a difference every day. Each DAISY Award honoree received:

• A certificate held in a portfolio proclaiming the recipient an "Extraordinary Nurse"
• A DAISY Award pin
• A unique, hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, entitled "A Healer's Touch"
• A Spotlight page on the DAISY website, featuring a photo and story of why this nurse was honored
• A cinnamon roll, symbolizing the appreciation and nourishment provided by the nurses (inspired by Patrick's story, where a simple cinnamon roll made a significant impact on his hospital stay)