San Juan Regional Health

San Juan Regional Medical Center is proud to announce that two more of our esteemed nurses are now DAISY® Award honorees.

Alicia McGee, a nurse on the Intensive Care Unit, was taking care of an elderly patient who was admitted with multiple serious health issues, including pneumonia. While the patient’s pneumonia was getting better with antibiotics, her mental status was rapidly deteriorating. Alicia was concerned it might be a stroke and acted quickly, but a CT scan ruled it out. However, the patient was becoming more unresponsive. Alicia did some research and found out the antibiotic the patient was on can, in rare cases, cause neurotoxicity. She voiced her concern; the patient was taken off the antibiotic and her mental status greatly improved.

“I thank God for dedicated nurses like Alicia,” the patient’s daughter said in her nomination. “My mom received wonderful care and was able to come home for us to love and enjoy for a while longer.”

“My family has been in Farmington all their lives. I grew up here so it’s nice to work here and serve my community. I love the team I work with. They are always supportive, and we help each other out,” Alicia said.

The second DAISY® Award recipient is Wendy Joe, Nephrology nurse. Wendy was caring for an elderly Navajo patient who was very nervous about being in the hospital. Wendy helped calm her fears with her happy attitude and her ability to speak Navajo, explaining the patient’s medical condition and treatment in a way she could understand. After the patient’s discharge, Wendy followed up with the patient’s husband, even calling the pharmacy to get a price estimate on medications.

“She went above and beyond. We don’t have many nurses who speak Navajo or take the time to do these things, but Wendy did, and my grandma didn’t want to leave the hospital,” the patient’s granddaughter said in her submission. 

The patient’s family wanted to share how much their grandma loved Wendy. She said that Wendy would hold her hand and sing to her in Navajo to help keep her calm.

“We are grateful for these precious memories. It made us think highly of the facility to know you have special employees like Wendy who take the time to make a difference in someone’s life,” the family said. 

“This award means a lot. It means I am doing something for the patients and my people. My grandma passed away while I was in nursing school and that’s what pushed me to be here. I never knew how to speak Navajo until I was here. My patients have taught me so much,” Wendy said.

Say thank you to a nurse today by nominating them for a DAISY Award at www.sanjuanregional.com/daisy