Barton Health Nurses Recognized for Exceptional Emergency Care on New Year's Eve

(South Lake Tahoe, CA) – Michelle Berry-Hogan, registered nurse (RN) with Barton’s Surgical Services Department, and Christine Shagen, RN with Barton’s Emergency Department, have been selected as recipients of The DAISY Award for extraordinary nurses. The award is in recognition of the clinical skill and compassionate care nurses provide to create a superior experience for patients and their families.

Berry-Hogan and Shagen were nominated by a pediatrician whose husband received emergency care at Barton Memorial Hospital on New Year’s Eve. The Santa Clara-based family was on vacation in Tahoe when he endured an infection and presented to the hospital in acute condition.

“As a physician, it feels stressful to have a family member endure a medical emergency at a facility other than your own. When my husband had acute appendicitis on vacation in Tahoe, the care he received was excellent and made everything so much easier to process,” said the nominator. “Michelle and Christine really stand out as going above and beyond, which was especially notable given that my husband was in their care on a major holiday during a pandemic. The entire team was professional, competent, and so kind throughout the experience.”

Barton Memorial Hospital is a verified Level III Trauma Center, a critical access point where patients will receive an increase in depth and speed of care. Unlike other hospital facilities, trauma centers guarantee the resources for trauma care and the immediate availability of emergency medicine physicians, surgeons, nurses, lab and x-ray technicians, and life support equipment 24-hours a day. Trauma centers must meet, at a minimum, more than 160 different essential criteria established by the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

“The family couldn't choose one nurse to nominate, so we couldn't either,” said Chief Nursing Officer, Julie Clayton, RN, when reviewing the nominations. “These nurses are both excellent choices for DAISY Award recognition, and together, their expert teamwork demonstrates the importance of collaboration in healthcare.”

Nurses may be nominated by patients and families, and the award recipient is chosen anonymously by a committee at Barton Health. As winners of The DAISY Award, Berry-Hogan and Shagen received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Awards are presented quarterly at celebrations often attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients and visitors.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died in 1999 at age 33 from complications of an autoimmune disease (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System). The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses. Today, this program has been implemented in more than 1,900 healthcare facilities, including Barton Memorial Hospital.

To learn more and nominate a nurse for The DAISY Award, visit BartonHealth.org/Daisy.