WC Missouri News

Bothwell Regional Health Center has awarded its latest DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to Emma Stone, a Registered Nurse in the hospital's Critical Care Unit (CCU). The DAISY Award allows patients and their families to nominate nurses who provide exceptional care. Stone was nominated by Bailey Poynter, whose brother was a recent patient.

“I am so thankful Emma was the nurse for my brother,” Poynter expressed. “She was an angel in a very dark place. For us, she made light. I hope everyone gets a nurse like Emma. We may have lost my brother, but Emma made sure he was comfortable and well taken care of. Thank you, Emma, for all that you do.”

Stone has been with Bothwell for five years, starting as a nurse intern in Orthopedics before moving to the CCU during the COVID pandemic. She earned her bachelor's degree in Nursing from Central Methodist University in 2021 and has since considered the CCU her professional home.

“I pursued nursing because I truly loved helping others,” Stone stated. “Originally, I was on the path to sonography and needed a Certified Nursing Assistant certificate for the program. After working in long-term care, I fell in love with the profession and changed to nursing.”

Megan Elwood from Bothwell’s Clinical Education department presented Stone with a certificate acknowledging her as an "Extraordinary Nurse." Stone also received cinnamon rolls, a daisy bouquet, a DAISY Award pin, and a sculpture called "A Healer’s Touch," created by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa. Her name will be displayed on a DAISY Award banner in CCU and on the DAISY Foundation website.

Stone reflected on receiving the award: “I am amazed that the patient’s family decided to nominate me despite them actively grieving the loss of their brother,” she said. “The experience with the patient was sadly short; however, I spent quite a bit of time with his family. They were beyond caring and had survived many losses before. I truly respected them for their strength and the comfort they provided their brother. This award is not just a reflection of my work but also of the incredible team I work with every day.”

The DAISY Award originated in 1999 in Glen Ellen, California, inspired by Patrick Barnes' family after his death from complications related to an autoimmune disease at age 33. The award recognizes nurses worldwide across more than 6,000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing.

Bothwell Regional Health Center began presenting this award to its nurses in 2018. Previous recipients include Jessica Wheeler, Shari Thomasson, Shasta Nardi, Courtney Rumans, Sarah Plante, Connie Roll, Ronda McMullin, Sarah Fredrickson, Sherri Egbert, Leslie Shapley, Seth Stotts, Stacey Nassar, Helen Fisher, Donna Cline, Linda Lower, Sarah Cordes, Reilly O’Shea, Heather Kaneko and Jenice Serrano.

To learn more or submit nominations for future awards visit brhc.org/daisy.