The DAISY Foundation™ was established in 2000 by the family of Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), an autoimmune disorder. Like many families we see every day who go through this kind of loss, the Barnes family wanted to find a way to turn their grief into something positive and do something that would honor the special man that Patrick was. They created DAISY — an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.

As they brainstormed what the DAISY Foundation would do, they kept returning to the one positive thing they held on to during Pat’s illness: the amazing care he — and the family — received from Pat’s nurses. The family was impressed by the clinical care Pat’s nurses provided and they were overwhelmed by the compassion and kindness that his nurses brought to Pat’s bedside every day.

As a result of their experiences, the Barnes family believes that nurses are unsung heroes who deserve far more recognition and honor than they receive. They decided to find a way to go around the country and thank nurses through the DAISY Foundation. There are now hundreds of healthcare organizations all over the U.S., in Canada and overseas committed to honoring their nurses with the DAISY Award®. To date, the foundation has recognized thousands of nurses for their extraordinary care. The American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) supports the DAISY Award for all Magnet® and Pathways to Excellence® organizations and those on their journey.

Nominate a DAISY Clinical Nurse now

Nominate a DAISY Nurse Leader now

Nominate a DAISY Team now

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Beacon Award of Excellence recognizes caregivers in stellar units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes. Units are awarded one of three levels of designation that acknowledge significant milestones on the journey toward excellence: gold, silver and bronze.

To be eligible, units must submit a unit profile and meet defined criteria in five categories:

• Leadership structures and systems
• Appropriate staffing and staff engagement
• Effective communication, knowledge management and learning development
• Evidence-based practice and processes
• Outcome measurements

UCI Health is proud to have four Beacon Award winners:

• Burn Intensive Care Unit — Gold Level of Designation
• Surgical Intensive Care Unit — Silver Level of Designation
• Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit — Silver Level of Designation
• DH 48/58 Acute Care Surgery — Silver Level of Designation

A sunflower symbolizes warmth and happiness. The ancillary staff member (nursing assistant, physical therapist/occupational therapist, respiratory therapist, etc.) is a valued team member who works with the patient and brings warmth and happiness by demonstrating a caring and kind attitude. The Sunflower award is given to the ancillary caregiver who demonstrates exceptional teamwork that positively impacts the patient.

Nominate a colleague for the Sunflower Ancillary Staff Award now

Programs that receive the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition® serve as the fount of knowledge and expertise for the delivery of nursing care. They are solidly grounded in core Magnet principles, are flexible and constantly strive for discovery and innovation. These organizations have demonstrated nursing excellence in transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovations, improvement and empirical outcomes.

This award recognizes the staff’s outstanding contributions to the Magnet culture, which is comprised of quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.