Amy McCullough, a Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) registered nurse assigned to Inpatient Mental Health, was surprised with NMCP’s DAISY Award during a ceremony Dec. 16. Capt. Lisa Mulligan, NMCP’s commanding officer, and Capt. Dixie Aune, Directorate for Nursing Services, presented the award.

McCullough was nominated for this award by her longtime colleague, Dr. Gary Munn.

“RN McCullough and I have worked together on the Inpatient Psychiatry Units for about 13 years,” Munn said. “She has been the RN assigned to my team with the most consistency. She is my most trusted nursing colleague.”

In the award citation, it goes on to say that McCullough consistently incorporates the family’s concerns and needs in her presentation of the patients’ cases to the medical team. She is a fierce, yet respectful, advocate for them. She keeps family members updated on their loved one’s progress, and does so with finesse and discretion.

The DAISY gifts of appreciation include a certificate, an “Ask Me About the DAISY Award” pin, a daisy flower to put on the name badge, and a serpentine sculpture. The sculpture is hand-carved by the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. They are especially meaningful, not only because they depict the embracing relationship nurses have with their patients, but also because of the profound respect the Shona people pay their traditional healers. Shona healers are affectionately regarded as treasurers by those they care for and this describes exactly how the DAISY Foundation, and the organization’s partners, feel about nurses.

The DAISY Award was established by The DAISY Foundation in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick (Pat) Barnes, a patient who lost his life to the auto-immune disease Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Barnes’ family wanted to recognize the incredible care that the nurses provided him before his death and created the award now embraced by healthcare organizations around the world.

During Pat’s illness, his family was impressed by the clinical care, compassion and kindness his nurses brought to the bedside day in and day out. Following Pat’s death, his family created the DAISY (an acronym for disease attacking the immune system) Foundation to say thank you to the nurses for the extraordinary care they provide patients and families every day.

As the U.S. Navy's oldest, continuously-operating military hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally-acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, along with the area's 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics, provide care for the Hampton Roads area.  The medical center also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsman for future roles in healing and wellness.

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