Baptist Union County nurse honored with DAISY award

NEW ALBANY, Miss., July 29, 2019 – Cheyenne McCollum, BSN, RN, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County, recently received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, an award given in appreciation of the work nurses do. McCollum, who works on the medical-surgical unit, was nominated by multiple patients.

Nurses like McCollum are nominated by patients, families, and colleagues for the DAISY Award, and from those nominations, nursing leadership at Baptist Union County selects nurses to receive the award.

At a presentation in front of the nurses, family and colleagues, McCollum received a certificate and a sculpture. The sculpture, titled “A Healer’s Touch,” is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.

In one nomination, a patient stated, “She made me feel valuable and worth something and cared for.” Another patient wrote, “She is so loving and caring for her patients.”

“It is truly an honor to recognize Cheyenne for her compassion and professionalism,” said Randy White, chief nursing officer at Baptist Union County. “Not only is she committed to continuously expanding her skills, Cheyenne dedicates her energy to making sure each patient feels special.”

About the DAISY award’s establishment

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation, based in Glen Ellen, Calif., was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at age 33 in late 1999, from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, an auto-immune disease.

The extraordinary care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill led to the creation of the DAISY Award. The DAISY Award has come to be regarded as a strategic tool for nurse recruitment and retention and has been adopted by healthcare facilities all over the U.S. and beyond.

Baptist Union County offers a variety of services, including adult and pediatric inpatient care, maternity, surgery, a 24-hour emergency department and diagnostics. The hospital also has 3D mammography, TeleHealth services and an eICU. Baptist Union County has an excellent reputation for providing quality care and recently earned an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group and Outstanding Patient Experience and Patient Safety Excellence awards from Healthgrades. Most notably, Baptist Union County became the first hospital in Mississippi to earn five stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the hospital’s quality, outcomes, safety and patient satisfaction. The Chartis Center for Rural Health also recognized the hospital as one of the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals in the country.

For more information about Baptist Union County, please call 662-538-7631 or visit unioncounty.baptistonline.org.