Salinas Valley Health Nurse Receives DAISY Award

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

SALINAS, CA, February 1, 2018- Dana Rogers, RN is the January recipient of the DAISY Award at Salinas Valley Health . Salinas Valley Health participates in the national Daisy Award program, which celebrates compassionate and skillful nursing care. Rogers is a Staff Nurse II in the Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Coronary Unit.

“It is an honor to receive the DAISY Award,” says Dana Rogers, RN. “I went into the nursing profession because I wanted to make a difference. It’s rewarding. We as a team always make a difference in the lives of our patients.”

Rogers joined Salinas Valley Health in 1993 as a Nurse Aide in the Medical Surgery Unit. She later became a staff nurse and has spent most of her years in the medical center's intensive care unit. The mother of one of our young patients nominated Rogers for the DAISY Award. The mother wrote a letter describing the exceptional care Rogers provided her son while he was in the ICU during the months of October and November. The parent expressed that Rogers bought her son a pair of tennis shoes after he complimented a pair she was wearing. The patient’s mother added, “My son was very happy. It filled my heart to know he was being cared for by compassionate people. My son passed away in January and Dana’s act of kindness will be forever in my heart and I will never forget it”.

“Dana’s actions are truly inspiring,” says Christie Gonder, RN, Chief Nursing Officer. “Her compassionate act of purchasing a pair of tennis shoes for this patient made him and his mother very happy. This is exceptional nursing care. We congratulate Dana Rogers. We are lucky she is part of our dedicated team.”

Rogers will be recognized by the publicly elected Board of Directors at its February board meeting. The following employees were also nominated for the January DAISY Award: Ruth Andrews, RN, Scott Baker, RN, Nicole Chahwan, RN, Jamie Crompton, RN, Claudia Getz, RN, Stevie Hardin, RN, and Maria Schell, RN.

Every month, Salinas Valley Health recognizes an outstanding employee with a DAISY Award (for nurses) or a STAR Award (for all staff). Nominations can be submitted by patients, visitors and staff. Nomination forms and drop boxes are located throughout the medical center. To learn more about the awards visit Nurse Recognition | Salinas Valley Health or STAR Award | Monterey County Health System (SalinasValleyHealth.com).