Portsmouth, NH – Portsmouth Regional Hospital announced this week that it is currently accepting DAISY Award nominations from grateful patients who experienced extraordinary care from a PRH nurse. Patients can say “thank you” to an amazing nurse by sharing their story of how that nurse made a difference in their life. If you are a patient or family member of a patient who is interested in nominating a nurse, you can submit nominations by email or by phone at 603-559-4171. Nominations will also be accepted at DAISY Nomination

The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. The DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes after he died from complications of the auto-immune disease ITP in 1999. 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.

“We are thrilled to relaunch this very special nursing recognition program at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. Nurses are frontline heroes not just during this unprecedented pandemic, but each and every day they care for a patient,” stated Michelle Dodd, chief nursing officer at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

Each DAISY Award honoree will be recognized at a public ceremony on his or her unit and will receive a certificate, a DAISY award pin, and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled “A Healer’s Touch.” Additionally, everyone on the unit will celebrate with cinnamon rolls – a favorite of Patrick’s during his illness. The Barnes family asks that whenever and wherever nurses smell the cinnamon aroma, they stop for moment and think about how special they are.

About Portsmouth Regional Hospital

Portsmouth Regional Hospital is a 220-bed acute care hospital located in Portsmouth, NH. Portsmouth Regional Hospital serves the Seacoast region’s residents in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts and is one of the area’s largest employers. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is the only ACS Verified Level II Trauma Center on New Hampshire’s Seacoast. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is the Seacoast’s only comprehensive heart and vascular program, and its only 24/7 neurosurgical and stroke clot retrieval programs. For more information about Portsmouth’s services and physicians, visit: Portsmouth Hospital's website.

About the DAISY Foundation

The DAISY Foundation was created in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of an auto-immune disease (hence the name, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem.) Patrick received extraordinary care from his nurses, and his family felt compelled to express their profound gratitude for the compassion and skill nurses bring to patients and families every day. The DAISY Award celebrates nurses in over 3,600 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing around the world. For more information about The DAISY Award and the Foundation’s other recognition of nurses, faculty and students, visit the DAISY Foundation's website.