Taylor Hinojosa, LPN, of Collins was recently awarded the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at East Georgia Regional Medical Center (EGRMC).
Hinojosa began her nursing career at EGRMC in August of 2020. The 24-year-old is the daughter of Quentin and Kelly Oliver. She is married to Jonathon Hinojosa, and they have a one-year-old daughter, Blakely. Taylor is a 2017 graduate of Tattnall County High School.
Hinojosa received multiple nominations for this award, and below are some of the excerpts of the kind words that were written about her. It has been rare for patients to be present at an award ceremony for our Daisy Award recipients, but Craig Winkler wanted to make sure that Hinojosa saw that he was getting better every day because of her and her wonderful team of colleagues at EGRMC.
“We encountered so many special nurses during my husband’s 17-day stay, but Hinojosa really stood out with her willingness to tackle whatever problem or circumstance came up. Every time, whether it was she and her colleague teaming up to give him a bath or quieting the machines so very quickly so as not to wake us up, she cared, even if she wasn’t the nurse assigned to our room. My husband said she would relax him just by her presence whenever she came around,” Judy Winker, the patient’s spouse, said.
Another patient wrote in their nomination of Hinojosa, “I was admitted to the hospital and my family lives out of state. I was alone. Even though the staff was so kind, I felt like I could write a book about them, I felt compelled to bring Taylor to attention. I prefer to pay attention to staff when they think that I am not. Taylor is very attentive and personable. Just by interacting with Taylor, she made me forget that I was alone and scared. When seeing her zipping around helping other patients, it was easy to see that trait came naturally. She is an amazing example of the staff of EGRMC. Coming in contact with her made my healing process easier. She even reached out to my family to keep them updated without me asking her. She was so accepting, and gentle, and she goes over and beyond with her job duties. More people like her are needed in the medical field. Thank you, Taylor.”
“Having Taylor on our nursing team is a blessing,” Marie Burdett, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at East Georgia Regional Hospital, said. “Taylor nurses with a compassionate and attentive, caring spirit and is well-deserving of this award for extraordinary nurses.”
Nurses may be nominated for the DAISY Award by patients, family members, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at EGRMC, upon review of all nominations. Each Honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.”
Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin, bouquet of daisies, a banner to hang in their respective department, fresh baked cinnamon rolls for their team, and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called ‘A Healer’s Touch’, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
“We are proud to be among the hospital systems participating in The DAISY Award program,” Stephen Pennington, CEO of East Georgia Regional Medical Center, said. “Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides another way for us to do that.
“We are pleased to honor Taylor with this award, and we thank her for the safe, compassionate care she gives to all of her patients at EGRMC.”
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.)
“The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families, said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, President and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation. “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at East Georgia Regional Medical Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
To learn more about the DAISY Award, or to nominate a nurse for this prestigious award, visit www.eastgeorgiaregional.com/daisy-award-nominations.
