MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center Nurse Receives Third Extraordinary Nursing Award In A Year
For the third time in less than a year, MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center’s Jennifer Perera was presented with the DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses.
Jennifer is a 6SW post-critical care nurse. The DAISY award honors the superhuman work nurses do for patients and families every day. Nurses are nominated by patients, families or fellow colleagues.
“Jennifer is an outstanding nurse who is focused on developing relationships with her patients and families,” said Tracy Larson, MercyOne Western Iowa chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services. “To receive three DAISY Awards this year is an incredible testament to the impact she makes.”
Each time, Jennifer has been honored for the compassionate care she gives to MercyOne patients - many of whom aren’t her own. In her April nomination, the wife of a patient said, “Jennifer never gave up on him. She was stern yet caring. Even when he wasn’t her patient anymore, she still stopped in to check on him.”
In August, Jennifer once again received the DAISY Award. The patient’s family said, “She goes above and beyond for her patient’s families. She is a strong advocate and is full of concern and compassion. My dad calls her his angel.”
Jennifer received her third nomination in September. Once again, a patient’s wife praised the care her husband received saying, “Jennifer knew how to push my husband to walk and eat to regain his strength. As we were dismissed, she gave us a hug, but not just any hug – a hug from the heart.”
“I am at a loss for words and gratitude for all the patients’ paths that I have been able to cross,” Jennifer said. “It’s an honor to have had an impact on their lives when they needed me most. I can be their voice when they need a strong advocate, a healing hand to help them mend and an ear for concerns or just to chat. I am thankful and blessed to be a part of this amazing MercyOne family!”
Jennifer joins thousands of other nurses across the country and hundreds across the MercyOne system to receive this award. “6SW post critical care is among our top nursing floors for DAISY Awards,” Larson said. “Many of our colleagues there have won two to three times and been nominated countless other times, including Marisa Hirschman and Chasity Soto. It means so much to our nurses to have these recognitions submitted.”
The Daisy Foundation provides patients, families and coworkers an opportunity to honor nurses who provide extraordinary compassionate care. The foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died from complications of an auto-immune disease in 1999. In 2021, MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center celebrated 10 years of the DAISY Award. Nominate an outstanding nurse here.