Late last week, two area hospitals announced that three of their nurses are recipients of the DAISY Award in honor of the extraordinary work they do in caring for patients. Taylor Potthoff, an RN at the specialty clinic at Manning Regional Healthcare Center along with Holly Wuebker, an RN in Lake City at Stewart Memorial Community Hospital (SMCH) Homecare/Hospice, and Sara Thorkildsen, an RN at SMCH, will be honored in a special ceremony and luncheon on Friday, June 17 at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. The DAISY Award, which stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33. The family was so impressed by the care and compassion Barnes received from his nurses they wanted to develop a way to thank all nurses who exemplify this type of care. Nominations are made by patients, families, physicians or other staff members. As of this year, over 2,200 healthcare organizations worldwide honor their nurses with the DAISY Award.