STERLING – Katyn Newburgh, a registered nurse in the CGH Critical Care Unit, was recently recognized as a recipient of the prestigious DAISY Award for extraordinary nurses.

An international program, the award is presented to nurses around the world who go above and beyond for their patients and demonstrate extraordinary compassionate care.

“December 22, 2024, our mother was admitted to ICU with pneumonia, influenza, and respiratory failure. Katyn was a true advocate for her care, pursuing what was right for mom and making sure the hospitalist remained informed of her care needs. In the days that followed, Katyn continued to check in with us, making sure our needs were being met, even when she was not assigned as mom’s primary nurse.

Finding a caregiver who will go the extra mile for their patient is hard to do. Katyn truly went the extra mile advocating for mom. We lost mom on Christmas morning.

Fast forward to a couple of days ago when our father was admitted with congestive heart failure. Katyn was the charge nurse and was getting dad settled from his move from medical floor to the ICU. She spoke to dad and chatted with him about mom. While it brought some tears to his eyes, it meant a lot to him that someone acknowledged his grief. Having been married one day shy of 65 years, this transition has been difficult at best for dad. Her compassion and acknowledgment of the difficulty and the simple words of ‘I’ve thought of you several times since your wife died, hoping you were doing okay’, truly meant a lot to us.

Katyn has shown care and compassion to our family several times. She exhibits the traits I wish all healthcare providers had.”

The DAISY Award—an acronym for “Diseases Attacking the Immune System”—was established by the DAISY Foundation in California in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of an autoimmune disease. During his hospitalization, they deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown to Patrick and his entire family. When he died, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way. The DAISY Award continues to recognize and celebrate the outstanding professionalism and compassion that nurses bring to patients and their families every day.

If you would like to submit a nomination for extraordinary nursing care that you, a family member, or a patient have received at CGH Medical Center, please visit www.cghmc.com/daisy.