Barton Health Nurse Recognized for Exceptional Care

Sarah Balasanian, RN Recognized with The DAISY Award

(South Lake Tahoe, CA) – Sarah Balasanian, registered nurse (RN) with Barton’s Medical/Surgical - Orthopedics Unit, was selected as a recipient 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.

Balasanian was nominated by a South Lake Tahoe resident, Skylor Klitsch, whose nomination reads, “I had a stay overnight after major foot surgery. Sarah had the best bedside manner and truly went above and beyond – especially when I was in pain – ensuring my care and pain management was coordinated effectively. Words do not do her justice, she was truly amazing!”

Medical/Surgical nurses are responsible for providing specialized care to patients admitted to the hospital with orthopedics conditions such as total hip replacement surgery and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. In close collaboration with orthopedic surgeons, they perform a wide array of duties including assessments, administering medications, wound care, monitoring post-operative recovery, and providing education and support for the patient and family members.

Nurses may be nominated by patients and their families along with other staff and physicians, and the award recipient is chosen anonymously by a committee at Barton Health. As a winner of The DAISY Award, Balasanian 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.

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