Two weeks after St. Tammany Health System officially introduced the Daisy recognition program for nurses, STHS Chief Nursing Officer Kerry Milton – a 40-year employee of STHS – earned the system’s first Daisy Award, a special Lifetime Achievement Daisy Award.
Daisy is emblematic of Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem and is an international recognition award program through which colleagues or patients can honor or celebrate the skillful, compassionate care provided by nurses.
“I can’t say enough about how it feels to be recognized,” Milton said upon being surprised with her award in the lobby of the health system’s new patient care addition. “It’s hard to say you love every single minute of your job, but I do – and I thank every one of you for this recognition.”
The special Lifetime Achievement Daisy Award is reserved for those nurses who have 25 or more years of service and are recognized by the nursing community as a transformational nursing leader, role model, mentor, and patient advocate.
“I appreciate the opportunity to express gratitude to Kerry for being an inspiration to nurses at all stages of their career and to recognize her commitment to the compassionate care of patients for four decades,” STHS President and CEO Joan Coffman said in presenting Milton with the award. “Kerry was recently quoted as follows: ‘I can’t say enough about this team. Any success I’ve had is thanks to them.’ She is a true servant leader who has and will continue to encourage and lead St. Tammany Health System’s nursing team into the future.”