GREENVILLE — Danyal Kniesly, a nurse at Wayne HealthCare, was honored on Monday afternoon with the presentation of the DAISY Award.

The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award is made in partnership with the national DAISY Foundation, American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and Wayne HealthCare. According to WHC’s Kim Freeman, vice president of patient care services, the award is given to outstanding nurses in more than 2,000 health-care facilities in all 50 states and 15 countries. The number of awards presented is based on the size of the hospital. WHC has been allotted two awards each year.

Freeman said the award is “really about recognizing extraordinary nurses and the great care they give and provide to our patients and community.”

Kniesly has been a nurse for 19 years and has served her entire career at Wayne HealthCare. The individual who nominated Kniesly for the award shared that not only do they admire her work ethic, but also her professionalism. “She is polite and curtious, not only to the staff but also each and every patient on the floor,” said the nominator. The nominator recalled, “I remember a gentleman with a special condition who gets admitted under our care frequently. He became frustrated at times due to their verbal communication difficulties, but I’ve seen the patients face light up anytime Danyal walked into the room, even if he was not under her direct care or if she came into to make sure things were fine.”

Kniesly really focuses on caring for patients, which is one of the reasons she wanted to be a nurse. The award is special to her because coming out of the pandemic she wasn’t sure if people still recognize the care nurses try to give to their patients.

Healer’s Touch sculpture, DAISY pin, blanket, cake, cookies, banner to hang in the department and cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls are signicant and are given at every DAISY Award celebration. The DAISY Award is given in remembrance of Patrick Barnes who passed away in 1999 from an auto-immune disease. His family wanted him to be remembered and they chose to honor the nurses that took care of their loved one. Because cinnamon rolls were Barnes’ favorite during his illness, each award must be celebrated with cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls are shared with everyone because nursing requires a team.

The name of the DAISY Award winner is kept secret until the day of the presentation. The selection committee is given copies of nomination forms with the names redacted and they only vote on the information provided by the nominators. The award winner must meet the following criteria: (DAISY) Dedicated to patient care and satisfaction; Attitude remains positive and demonstrates professionalism in the workplace; Interested in the needs of the patient and family; Stands for and demonstrates the caring ideals, mission and values of WHC; and Yearly evaluation is in good standing.

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected]