Baptist Union County recognizes nurse who performs above and beyond expectations

Paula Browning, 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.  Browning, who works on the medical-surgical unit, was nominated by multiple patients and was a DAISY Award winner in 2016.

Nurses like Browning 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 and colleagues, Browning 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, “Paula was so friendly and caring. When her shift was over, she hugged me and thanked me for letting her care for me.  Paula put me at ease and made me feel special.  She is the kind of person I would want for a friend.”

Another patient’s family member wrote, “My mother is 100, and Paula made her feel safe and important.”

 “It is truly an honor to recognize Paula for her compassion and empathy for others,” said Randy White, chief nursing officer at Baptist Union County.  “Paula has a genuine concern for each patient and commits herself to making each one feel special.”

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 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.