Sue Sheaffer, RN, BSN, a nurse at Grand View Health for nearly four decades, is the organization’s first recipient of the DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses. The honor is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs that recognize the superhuman efforts nurses perform every day.
Sheaffer, a Supervisor of Nursing Administration at Grand View Health, was nominated for the award due to the compassion she showed to the father of a patient who had passed away hours earlier after losing a courageous battle with a terminal illness.
“I witnessed Sue sitting in the hospital lobby that morning, sitting face-to-face, holding the hand of the patient’s father in a very tender moment,” Sheaffer’s nomination letter read. “During the busyness of her morning supervising, Sue took the time to sit and provide emotional support to a grieving father. This is an example of not only an excellent leader, but a kind, compassionate nurse we have at GVH!”
Sheaffer has worked at Grand View Health for 39 years. She earned her BSN from Kutztown University and her nursing diploma from St. Luke’s School of Nursing. She resides in Zionsville.
The DAISY Award was established by the not-for-profit DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of an autoimmune disease. The Barnes family was awestruck by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of Patrick’s nurses and created this international award to say thank you to nurses everywhere.
Grand View Health will recognize eight DAISY Award winners each year. Anyone — patients, family members, co-workers, physicians, staff — who experiences or observes a nurse providing extraordinary, compassionate care may nominate a nurse for the award. Nominations can be made online at GVH.org/daisy.
“Nurses like Sue combine their clinical skills with high levels of empathy and compassion to make deep connections with their patients every day,” said Cindy Westphal, RN, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Grand View Health. “We offer Sue a heartfelt congratulations and look forward to giving more of our outstanding nurses the recognition they deserve.”
For winning the award, Sheaffer received a DAISY Award certificate, pin and gift bag and a hand-carved stone sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”
To learn more about the DAISY Awards, visit DAISYfoundation.org.