Memorial Announces Niaja Jones, RN as June 2024 Daisy Winner

Congratulations to Niaja Jones, RN at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital 4 Tower Medical Surgical Floor. She was nominated by a peer who wanted to recognize her patience and attention to detail in aspect of patient care.

From the Nominator:

I cannot think of one specific event, as Niaja Jones has really performed above and beyond on everything. Niaja puts 150% into her patients and their family members. She was the only nurse who, upon her shifts, performed a complete physical on the patient and overall room check for trash and supplies needed (ice, coffee, pillows). She has performed above and beyond her duties to make the family and patient comfortable. She was never rushed when she came in to perform her duties. She was very thorough. Niaja even listened to our concerns and answered some of our questions. She even took a few moments to chat with us, even to confirm the patient upon issuing medicines, by asking several questions to see how coherent the patient was. Niaja really seems to care for her patients. I have been here 6 days, and out of all the nurses, She is by far the best! She is outstanding!

About DAISY:

In late 1999, at the age of 33, Patrick Barnes awoke with some blood blisters in his mouth. Having survived Hodgkin's Disease twice, he was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with the auto-immune disease, ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura).

Said his father, Mark Barnes, "We are so blessed that we were able to spend the eight weeks of his hospitalization with him and his family. During those weeks, we experienced the best of Nursing. We were there to see the clinical skill that dealt with his very complex medical situation, the fast thinking of nurses who saved his life more than once, and that nursing excellence that took years to hone to the best of the profession. But frankly, as a patient family, we rather expected that Pat would have great clinical care. That was why he was in the hospital. What we did not expect was the way his nurses delivered that care - the kindness and compassion they gave Pat and all of us in his family every day. We were awed by the way the nurses touched him and spoke with him, even when he was on a ventilator and totally sedated. The way they informed and educated us eased our minds. They truly helped us through the darkest hours of our lives, with soft voices of hope and strong loving hugs that to this day, we still feel."

Just days after he died, the family began talking about what they would do to help fill the giant hole in their hearts that Pat’s passing had left. His wife came up with the acronym, DAISY, standing for diseases attacking the immune system. As they discussed what to do in Patrick’s memory, first and foremost, they wanted to say Thank You for the gifts nurses give their patients and families every day. That is when the family created The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses.

For more information regarding Niaja's nomination, click here.