UP Health System – Portage Honors Ambulatory Care Unit Nurse, Janelle Johnson, RN, with DAISY Award

UP Health System – Portage is proud to honor Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU) Nurse, Janelle Johnson, 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.

Janelle cares for patients in the ACU at UP Health System – Portage. Nurses and providers in this unit care for a variety of patients who need to undergo surgery. She helps with pre-operative surgery instructions and preparedness, scheduling and post-operative care until they are either discharged home or admitted for further care. There is a solid emphasis on collaboration across departments to develop and implement comprehensive care plans in the ACU setting, and nurses are vital to ensuring patients receive the timely and effective care they need. While incredibly valued in her role in the ACU, the incident noted in Janelle’s DAISY Award nomination happened off the clock. She happened to be at the scene of a medical emergency in her community and did not hesitate to respond to the call.

Her nomination read:

“On Saturday morning (June 30), I was working a Mercy EMS shift, and we were paged to Walmart for a person who fell. While en route, we were updated that CPR was in progress. Upon arrival, Janelle Johnson was administering CPR to the patient along with local police officers. I was informed by bystanders that Janelle had quickly stepped in when she discovered this person needed medical attention and started CPR immediately. Janelle assisted us with working the code and helped with anything we needed. Even though the outcome was not what we had hoped for, Janelle’s efforts did not go unnoticed. My team that day is so thankful for Janelle stepping in and assisting. As a fellow nurse, it is an honor to have someone like Janelle in our community. For these actions, I would like to nominate Janelle for the Portage Daisy Award to recognize her exemplary service that extends beyond the walls of Portage.”

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

• Kirsten Erkkila, RN, Family Birthing
• Crystal Heider, RN,  Med-Surg
• Lauren Kero, RN, Med-Surg
• Becky Kerry, RN, Med-Surg
• Mary Labeske, RN, Emergency Department
• Eric Lasanen, RN, Med-Surg
• Karen Mattson, RN, Perioperative Services
• Rebekka Mikkola, RN, Emergency Department
• Kristy Vlahos, RN, Perioperative Services

Janelle celebrates with her fellow ACU nurses and team.

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 UP Health System – 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 UP Health System – Portage are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”

Janelle Johnson, RN, pictured with Casey Baird, Chief Nursing Officer and Donna McMullen, Director of Perioperative Services.

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.