Delta, CO (December 18, 2025) – Jessica Carlson, Registered Nurse (RN), for the Delta Health Emergency Department, was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.
Jessica was nominated by a fellow staff member, who shared that she helped a patient who was in Hospice, find a place that could assist him in rehoming his pets.
The nurse who nominated her said, “The relief and gratitude this patient expressed was unforgettable. That is who Jess is. She is the nurse who is willing to bring clean clothes and shoes from home for patients in need. She is the colleague who comforts another nurse’s dying patient so they may experience dignity in their final moments. Her compassion has no limits.” The fellow nurse also expressed, “The environment in the Emergency Department makes it easy to become hardened and detached, but Jess’ kindness and humanity shines through. She not only impacts patients’ lives in extraordinary ways, but she also inspires her co-workers, including myself to be better nurses and better people. Jess truly embodies the spirit of the Daisy Award.”
“Jessica demonstrates genuine compassion, even in challenging situations,” said Amber Medina, BSN, Delta Health Emergency Department Director. “She believes everyone deserves respect and consistently gives her best to every person she encounters.”
Ten other Delta Health nurses were also nominated for this quarter’s DAISY Award: Elaine Walters, RN, David Brodhead, RN, Susan Anderson, RN, Colleen Zweigle, RN, Rebecca Enrique, RN, Jodi Slagter, RN, Anna Wiltse, RN, Yvonne Solaas, RN, Angela Dupuis, RN, Erik Borling, RN.
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. 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.
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, CEO and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the superhuman work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Delta Health are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
Honorees receive a DAISY Award pin and daisy stems. The Daisy Award winner also receives a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. The Healers’ Touch sculpture represents the bond between nurses and their patients.
To nominate a nurse for a DAISY Award, go online to deltahealthco.org/bee-daisy-awards/ and submit a digital nomination form. Printed nomination forms can also be found throughout the hospital and at all Delta Health clinics.
In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 4,600 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants their new Health Equity Grant program. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
