Extraordinary nurse at DaVita honored with DAISY Award

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Special to the State Gazette

Rachel Brown, nephrology nurse at DaVita Lewis Creek at Home dialysis center was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses during National Nurses Week. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the superhuman efforts nurses perform every day.  

DaVita leaders, fellow care team members and patients celebrated Brown for her continuous efforts to go above and beyond to care for her dialysis patients and support DaVita teammates. Brown is attentive, accessible, and friendly at all times. She truly cares about her patient and is supportive in every way. According to a DaVita teammate who nominated Brown for the award, “Rachel is a true professional. I don’t think we could make it without her!” 

For their commitment to respecting, encouraging and empathizing with each patient’s kidney care journey, DaVita’s DAISY award honorees received a personalized “Extraordinary Nurse” certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a hand-carved sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”

“Nurses are such a significant part of the health care workforce, and they are at the heart of the care we provide at DaVita,” said Tina Livaudais, chief nursing officer for DaVita. “I’m inspired by the stories of compassion, empathy and selflessness that each of our DAISY recipients embodies. This award reflects the clinical excellence they deliver to our patients every day.”

DaVita’s commitment to clinical excellence is reflected in the care it offers patients during each step of their kidney care journey. The DaVita nurses who received a DAISY Award this year represent each of the dialysis treatment settings that DaVita offers:

*40 in-center hemodialysis nurses

*6 home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis nurses

*8 acute dialysis nurses who deliver care in a hospital setting

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes.  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. 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 their patients and patient families.  

Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, doctor of humane letters and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation, “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 the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses at DaVita are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

A robust nursing workforce is essential for the care of kidney disease patients. DaVita has expanded efforts to help address the critical nursing workforce shortage facing the U.S. The company’s programs to energize the next generation of nursing talent to join the nursing field include:

*A nephrology-practice specialty curriculum offered through Chamberlain University, the largest online school of nursing in the U.S.

*A five-level career mapping model, Clinical Ladders, that provides teammates with the tools and resources needed to grow their careers.

*Tuition reimbursement for full- and part-time teammates interested in pursuing a nursing degree.

*The holistic Bridge to Your Dreams program that supports high-performing teammates in pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing through financial assistance, uniquely designed resources and support with nursing role placement at DaVita.