Lisa Garofalo, BSN, RN, Joins Elite DAISY Recipient Class at SLV Health

Lisa is surrounded by her team and her supervisor, Amber Marquez, in celebration of this wonderful achievement.

Nurses at San Luis Valley Health are being honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.

This quarter’s recipient, Lisa Garofalo, BSN, RN, works in the Regional Medical Center’s ICU unit under the supervision of Amber Marquez. Lisa was recognized for her caring role by a patient’s daughter.

“My mother was admitted into the hospital in Alamosa early in the morning in the ICU (around 3:00 a.m.) and Lisa was her nurse. Lisa was very attentive to my mother every day and was there taking care of her. She took the time to explain everything that was going on with Mom’s health, including the medications that she was giving her, and she answered any questions we had.

Lisa is a very compassionate nurse. She always had a very positive attitude, and she brought positive vibes every time she walked into the room. She did everything she could to make sure my mom was always comfortable as well as myself and other family members.

She has a big heart! She’s great at her job and she’s an amazing person all around. We were very blessed to have our mom in her care. We will always be thankful for Lisa, and she will always have a special place in our hearts.”

At SLVH, the former recipient hands off the traveling banner to the new recipient so they can display it in their department.  Pictured here is Rikki Archuleta (left) and Lisa Garofalo.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little-known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) 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.

Chief Nursing Officer at SLV Health Roberta Bean commented, “We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.” To read about the other SLVH recipients or to nominate a nurse, please visit https://www.sanluisvalleyhealth.org/about-us/daisy-nursing-excellence/

Brittany Sours, SLVH Nurse leader, gives the background of this prestigious award.