UP Health System – Portage Emergency Department Nurse Josh Larson, RN, Honored with DAISY Award

UP Health System – Portage (UPHS – Portage) is proud to honor Josh Larson, RN, with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses®. The award is given out every quarter and is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care provided to patients and families every day. 

Josh cares for patients in the Emergency Department at UPHS – Portage and is no stranger to the fast-paced environment where stressful—yet rewarding—situations may arise. Josh was recognized for his exceptional care and dedication when minutes mattered for one of his patients, who nominated him for the award. Below is the patient's nomination: 

"I came into the emergency department with a pulmonary embolism. Josh Larson was the nurse on duty that night. He was wonderful. Josh explained completely the medications I was getting and why they were important, not only to me but to my family. He was patient, kind and competent. He made me feel important. I am sure he had other patients that night and made them feel the same way. Josh made my family feel that they could go home and get some needed rest and I would be very well taken care of. I was reluctant to see him go at the end of his shift, but he said he would check with my family to see how I was doing. Josh is an exceptional nurse. I am still undergoing treatment, but because of Josh’s care, I expect to make a full recovery."

Josh Larson, RN, and Mary LaBeske, RN, director of the emergency department, stand for a picture to celebrate his award.  

UPHS – Portage would like to also recognize the entire team of nurses who were nominated for the DAISY award this quarter:

• Hannah Wilson, RN, Cancer Care
• Angela Lizzadro-McPherson, RN, Cancer Care
• Sarah Manninen, RN, Perioperative Services
• Karen Mattson, RN, Perioperative Services
• Abby Simonson, RN, Obstetrics
• Grace Huhta, RN, Obstetrics
• Tiia Langely, RN, Obstetrics
• Amanda Klein, RN, Obstetrics
• Joye Battisfore, RN, Obstetrics

Josh with Deb Young, MSN, RN, CENP, chief nursing officer; Mary LaBeske, RN, director of the emergency department; and Casey Baird, MBA, BSN, RN, CPPS, director of patient services. 

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 patients and their families.

Patients, families, and colleagues may nominate nurses. Nominations are reviewed by a committee at UPHS – Portage, which then selects the winner. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, friends, and family.  Each honoree receives a certificate commending them that reads, “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, chief executive officer and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation said, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for their super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work. The kind of work the nurses at UPHS – Portage are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,900 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care nurses, nurse-led teams, nurse leaders, nursing faculty, and nursing students, through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and nurses participating in medical missions.

To nominate an extraordinary nurse for the DAISY Award, visit our website. For more information on the DAISY Award, please visit the DAISY Foundation website.