Four MCHS nurses in Austin and Albert Lea win DASY Award

Four nurses from the Mayo Clinic Health Services campuses in Ausitn and Albert Lea recently received the DAISY Award, an international recognition that honors and celebrates the skillful and compassionate care nurses provide.

To receive the DAISY Award, nurses who provide extraordinary care are nominated by patients, patient families or colleagues. For nurses working at locations across Mayo Clinic Health System’s Southeast Minnesota region, a selection committee reviews nominations and selects DAISY Award winners quarterly.

The four nurses in Austin and Albert Lea who received the DAISY Award are:

Kim Draayer
Draayer is a nurse in the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. She was nominated by her colleague, Dhauna Karam, M.B.B.S., M.D., for her special interest in working with patients looking for healing after substance abuse.

Karen Hallisy
Hallisy is a nurse in the Family Birth Center at Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin. She was nominated for the DAISY Award by a patient who appreciated her support and kindness after the loss of a child.

Amber Michaelis
Michaelis is a nurse in Fountain Centers at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. She was nominated by her colleague, Angela Olson, for thinking outside the box to deliver quality patient care.

Angela L. Reed
Reed is a nurse in a Medical-Surgical Unit at Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin. She was nominated by a patient’s wife for helping her husband during his hospital stay and for her fun and caring personality.

All four nurses were presented the DAISY Award by Cheristi Cognetta-Rieke, D.N.P., chief nursing officer for Mayo Clinic Health System in Southeast Minnesota, at surprise presentations.

The DAISY Award was created in honor of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. The nursing care he received when hospitalized profoundly touched his family. Learn more about the history of the DAISY Award.