By Gary S. Hatrick
Two local nurses were honored May 4 with The Daisy Award for their skill, commitment and dedication to their patients at their respective hospitals. Administrators and nurses from AdventHealth Zephyrhills and AdventHealth Dade City, as well as representatives of AdventHealth Meadow Pointe ER, gathered at the Waller Barn in Dade City to present Joel Griffith-Latham and Laura Sanchez, both residents of Dade City, with the Daisy Award. They also recognized several outstanding nurses and support staff.
JOEL GRIFFITH-LATHAM has been nursing for two years. He works primarily in the cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit of AdventHealth Zephyrhills. His nomination was based in part on the testimony of an AHZ patient who praised him for his compassion and kindness. “From the moment I arrived from the ER, Joel was incredibly kind, compassionate, and attentive,” the patient wrote, “He even accompanied me when I had to have an MRI, and I expressed some anxiousness over having that done. When they stopped the MRI before completion, Joel came to my side to assure me of his presence and to give me verbal support to help me get through the final portion. My whole family has felt his concern. He deserves any and all recognition.”
“I look at all the nurses that are here, and I see what they all do, and I am very, very honored and blessed to get this, to say the least,” Griffith-Latham said. “I was really fortunate. It is honoring.” Griffith-Latham is a local man receiving the award not far from where he was raised. “I grew up here in Dade City. Went to Pasco Elementary, Pasco Middle, Pasco High, Class of ‘13.” His plan for the future is to take a sensible approach to life. “I always just kind of think, you do what makes sense when it makes sense. As long as it works with my life, then I’ll go with it. I’m pretty easy.”
LAURA SANCHEZ has worked at Dade City AdventHealth going on six years. She is a progressive care nurse working in the Progressive Care Unit. Interestingly, Griffith-Latham was born in Dade City and works in Zephyrhills, Sanchez was born in Zephyrhills and works in Dade City. Sanchez was nominated based on the word of a patient as well. The patient was a new ostomy patient and was afraid of her ostomy and refused to care for it. Sanchez sensed the fear with no prompt from the family. She educated the patient and helped her patient to learn how to care for her condition, dissipating the fear.
Sanchez empowered her patient to be able to provide the care she needed at home. It was hailed as a “huge victory” providing both practical and emotional healing. Like many who receive honors, Sanchez did not see it coming. “I feel like I just do my job,” she said. “I care for my patients, and I put them first, and I advocate for them, but I didn’t see that I did anything special, but I’m glad I made a difference. I love what I do.” Sanchez also said she loves working at AdventHealth Dade City, and she has hopes of someday working with children.
At the start of the event, Gwen Alonso, MSN, RN, VP, retired Chief Nursing Officer for both AdventHealth Dade City and AdventHealth Zephyrhills, gave the keynote address for the occasion. Alonso based her words of encouragement to all the nurses present on Scripture: “I want to begin with a verse that has been very personal to me throughout my career,” she said. “It is Galatians 6:9, which says: ‘Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’”
“Nurses understand weariness,” Alonso continued, “You live it. Weariness from long shifts. Weariness from caring deeply in moments of suffering. Weariness from constant change, high expectations, and not always enough resources. The verse reminds us: ‘In due season we shall reap…’ Nursing does not always offer immediate reward. You don’t always see the outcome. You don’t always know the impact… But no act of compassion is ever wasted. Every patient you care for. Every moment you choose kindness. Every time you stayed when it was hard. The verse ends with these words: ‘if we faint not.’ That does not mean never resting. It does not mean pushing beyond healthy limits. It means remembering why you do this work. It means leaning on one another. It means reconnecting to purpose—especially on hard days.”
The ceremony ended with all the nurses reciting the Florence Nightingale pledge, which ends saying: With loyalty I endeavor to devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care. Griffith-Latham and Sanchez exemplify that commitment. According to an AdventHealth website, “The DAISY Award honorees personify AdventHealth’s remarkable patient experience. Following the philosophy of CREATION, designed to help individuals achieve maximum health and wellness, these nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care. Seeking to positively influence all aspects of the patient’s life — mind, body, and spirit. They are also recognized as outstanding role models in our nursing community.”
The DAISY Foundation was established in 2000 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died of complications of the autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) at the age of 33. (DAISY is an acronym for disease attacking the immune system.) ♥
