Kaneko receives prestigious nursing award

Bothwell Regional Health Center recently presented its latest DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to Heather Kaneko.

The DAISY Award is for patients and their families to nominate nurses who give outstanding, compassionate and skillful care. Kaneko is a Registered Nurse and works in the hospital’s Progressive Care Unit (PCU) as a charge nurse; she was nominated by a recent hospitalized patient.

“Heather went above and beyond in caring for me while I was in the hospital,” the patient said. “She walked me through all of the discharge paperwork and explained the steps I would need to take at home. When I mentioned I would have to wait an additional two weeks for my short-term disability paperwork, she went out of her way to ask my hospitalist physician to complete the paperwork so I could set up my payments immediately. She took all the necessary steps and even faxed it for me.”

Kaneko has been a nurse for 31 years and has worked in the PCU at Bothwell since 2010. Her journey into nursing started in high school.

“As a junior and senior, I really didn’t have a strong sense of what I wanted to do ‘when I grew up,’” she said. “One day, I heard Paul Harvey on the radio talking about how nursing was a career that would always be in demand and that it was both challenging and rewarding. I liked the idea of getting an associate degree and being able to start working without going into debt.”

Throughout her career, Kaneko has appreciated the flexibility nursing has given her, especially as a mother, allowing her to work various shifts as her children grew up.

“It’s rewarding to work in a rural hospital, providing care for family, friends and people in the community,” she said. “I know how much good care means for all of us.”

Megan Elwood, an RN in Bothwell’s Clinical Education department, presented Kaneko with a certificate congratulating her for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” She also received a box of cinnamon rolls, a daisy bouquet, a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa. A DAISY Award banner recognizing her will hang in the unit and Kaneko’s name will appear on the DAISY Foundation website.

“Heather is a wonderful nurse and leader in the PCU,” Elwood said. “In her current role, she manages unit admissions and discharges, which means she has quite a lot of contact with patients. She’s a great communicator and is passionate about making sure patients have the education, information and help they need when they leave the hospital to continue their health journey. We’re thankful to have Heather’s compassion and skill on our team.”

Kaneko described receiving the DAISY Award as a “very nice surprise” and appreciates how the DAISY Foundation gives patients and families a meaningful way to express their gratitude.

“It’s incredible to see how the care we provide every day makes an impact on people’s lives,” she said. “While I don’t need an award to do my job well, it reminds us to not be complacent and gives us a boost of energy to keep doing our best.”

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was started in 1999 in Glen Ellen, California, by members of the family of Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 of complications from an autoimmune disease. The care his nurses provided was the inspiration for the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award.

An international award, the DAISY is awarded in more than 6,000 health care facilities and schools of nursing around the world, including 39 countries and territories. Bothwell Regional Health Center began recognizing its nurses with the DAISY Award in 2018. Jessica Wheeler, Shari Thomasson, Shasta Nardi, Courtney Rumans, Sarah Plante, Connie Roll, Ronda McMullin, Sarah Fredrickson, Sherri Egbert, Leslie Shapley, Seth Stotts, Stacey Nassar, Helen Fisher, Donna Cline, Linda Lower, Sarah Cordes and Reilly O’Shea are previous recipients.

To learn more or to submit a nomination, visit brhc.org/daisy.