Heidbreder earns DAISY Award at ALMH

[April 24, 2014]  Teresa Heidbreder, of Middletown, was recognized last week as the first DAISY Award recipient in Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital history. The award is part of the national DAISY Foundation's program to recognize the superhuman efforts nurses perform every day. Heidbreder is a registered nurse on the ALMH Acute Care Unit.

At a presentation on April 16, Heidbreder was recognized in front of her colleagues. She received a certificate commending her for being 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." She was also given a sculpture called "A Healer's Touch," hand-carved by artists of the Shona tribe in Africa.

Heidbreder has been with ALMH for over 25 years and was nominated by one of her patients. The nomination stated: "Teresa inspires me with hope. She always has a word of compassion and embraces her job with much skill and devotion to her patients."

"We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program," said Jeanne Dennis, ALMH director of nursing. "It's important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and the DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that. Teresa is an asset to ALMH, and we are thrilled with this opportunity to recognize her extraordinary work."

Other individuals nominated by patients were Ashley Buss, Eric Dunn, Heather Callahan, Lisa Molt, Roger McCoy and Tim Sedlacek.

Any nurse at ALMH can be nominated for the DAISY Award. Nomination forms are available throughout the hospital and from www.almh.org. Twice annually, a nurse will be selected bys ALMH's Nursing Shared Governance Council to receive the award.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation, based in Glen Ellen, Calif., was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. 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 patients' families.

[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital]