Baptist Union County recognizes Joann Burks, RN, who performs above and beyond expectations

 NEW ALBANY, Miss.,  – Joann Burks, RN, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County, recently received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses The Daisy award is given in appreciation of the work nurses do.  Burks, a nurse in the emergency department with over thirty years of service, was nominated by a patient’s family member.

Nurses like Burks 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 nurses, colleagues, and family, Burks 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 the nomination, the family member shared that Joann immediately recognized the seriousness of the patient’s condition and notified the physician.  The family member stated, “Because Joann acted quickly, my mother was able to get the medication to stop the bleeding on her brain.  I am so grateful to Joann Burks for saving my mother’s life.”

“It is truly an honor to recognize Joann for her compassion and excellent nursing skills,” said Tina Snyder, Nurse Education Manager at Baptist Union County.  “Joann’s genuine concern for each patient exemplifies what a true DAISY award winner should be.”

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.

Baptist Union County offers a variety of services, including adult and pediatric inpatient care, maternity, surgery, a 24-hour emergency department, sleep lab, pulmonology, and diagnostics. The hospital also has PET/CT, 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, as well as the Outstanding Patient Safety Excellence and Outstanding Patient Experience awards from Healthgrades. Most notably, Baptist Union County earned five stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the hospital’s quality, outcomes, safety and patient satisfaction.

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

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