Rehfeldt Honored with Avera Queen of Peace Hospital DAISY Award
Althea Rehfeldt, RN, was recently recognized with Avera Queen of Peace Hospital’s quarterly DAISY Award. She has worked at Avera Queen of Peace Hospital for 15 years. Rehfeldt, third from the left, is holding the DAISY Award banner surrounded by her co-workers.
Avera Queen of Peace Hospital is pleased to announce that Althea Rehfeldt, RN, is the most recent recipient of its quarterly nurse recognition program called the DAISY Award.
The DAISY Program honors and celebrates the skillful and compassionate care nurses provide every day. DAISY is an acronym for “Diseases Attacking the Immune System.” The DAISY Award has grown into a meaningful recognition program embraced by health care organizations around the world, including multiple Avera facilities.
Nurses at any Avera Queen of Peace facilities are eligible to receive the DAISY Award.
Rehfeldt has cared for medical/surgical and pediatric patients at Avera Queen of Peace Hospital for 15 years.
She was nominated for the DAISY Award by the daughter of a patient, who observed that Rehfeldt provided “compassionate care” to her mother.
“Her patience, explanations and genuine caring was noted by our mother, as well as all of her family,” the nomination letter stated. “When Althea arrived for her shift, she brought such a level of comfort for us as we stayed by our mother’s side. She made sure our father understood what was occurring with our mother. Avera Queen of Peace is very fortunate to have Althea.”
Rehfeldt said it is an honor to be recognized with a DAISY Award.
“I feel so blessed to work with an amazing group of nurses and staff,” she stated. “It would be difficult to provide quality care without having the team we have, including everyone from management, nursing, staff assistants, physical and occupational therapy, doctors, pharmacists, social workers, dietary, housekeeping and others. It truly takes a team approach when caring for a person as a whole.”
Working in the health care field, Rehfeldt said she appreciates the importance of having empathy and understanding.
“It truly is as basic as treating other people the way you wish to be treated,” she said.
A committee of Avera employees evaluates the DAISY Award nominations and selects a winner every quarter.
The DAISY Foundation was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at age 33 in 1999 from complications of the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
For more information, visit DaisyFoundation.org.
Anyone who has had a positive nursing care experience can nominate a deserving nurse for a DAISY award by filling out the online form at daisynomination.org/5357.