David McWhirter, R.N., receives DAISY Award for Exceptional Care

(January 15, 2016– Bartlett, Tenn.)  David McWhirter, R.N. at Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett, was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. This national award recognizes nurses for the excellent care they provide to patients.

McWhirter joined Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett in March 2015. He has been a registered nurse for 38 years. McWhirter was selected as a DAISY Award recipient based on nominations from his peers and letters from patients and their families.

 “It’s a blessing to be able to take care of people that need help,” said McWhirter. “In my opinion, the DAISY Award is the highest award a nurse can receive. It’s the pinnacle of my career in healthcare.”

 McWhirter was presented with a certificate commending him for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” He also received a Healer’s Touch sculpture, hand carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa. The sculpture represents the respect the Shona people give their traditional healers.

 The DAISY Award, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, is a national program that began in 2001 by the DAISY Foundation in Glen Ellen, California. The DAISY Foundation was started by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a bleeding condition in which the blood doesn't clot properly. Deeply touched by the compassionate care Patrick received from his nurses, the Barnes family created the national DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to recognize the incredible work that nurses do every day.