Thursday
April 25, 2024 
On May 10, Mansfield, N.J., resident Ashley Spinks received the Daisy Award for Hunterdon Healthcare.
The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the clinical skill and the compassion nurses provide to patients and families every day. Spinks received the award while caring for a patient on the maternity unit at Hunterdon Medical Center.
The patient of Spinks’ wrote, “I came into the maternity department and Ashley was one of the first nurses I met. She was extremely accommodating from the very beginning; however, she went above and beyond in her care for me. I came in 9 cm. dilated in the morning. She stayed with me from when I came in until after the baby was born midday. She never left my side the entire time I was in labor and delivery.
“Her energy and care was invaluable during this pivotal moment in my life. She went above and beyond in many ways. She was a constant morale, physical, emotional, and mental support for me. I cannot thank her enough for making me feel so special and safe in this most important moment of my life becoming a mother. You are very special and helped change my life in a very positive way. I am eternally grateful for you.”
The nonprofit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes 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 he and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patients’ families.
The Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses has been adopted by 3,500 health care facilities and schools of nursing in all 50 states and 21 other countries, committed to honoring their nurses for their extraordinary care and compassion. Individual nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues and they are chosen by a Hunterdon Healthcare committee.
DAISY Award recipients are presented with a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, a hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, and a spotlight page on The DAISY Foundation website, featuring a photo and telling the story of why this nurse was honored.
At each award presentation, all the nurses and staff in the recipient’s unit are treated to cinnamon rolls. The reason? Once, Barnes ate his father’s cinnamon roll when he was in the hospital without an appetite for food. He then requested one for the next day – and enough for all the nurses in the unit.
To nominate a nurse that works for Hunterdon Healthcare System or to learn more, visit hunterdonhealthcare.org/daisy-award.
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