TROY — Kari Ford, a nurse for DaVita Kidney Care, was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses during National Nurses Week.

The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

DaVita leaders, fellow care team members and patients celebrated Ford for her continuous efforts to make each patient and their families feel special, comforted, and cared for. Ford is compassionate beyond measure and cares for her patients and their families with intensity. Never was this more evident than through her relationship with a patient battling seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Ford called the patient regularly, “just to check in,” and served as an additional voice to help the patient continue dialysis treatment and access needed mental health support.

For their commitment to respecting, encouraging and empathizing with each patient’s kidney care journey, DaVita’s DAISY award honorees received a personalized “Extraordinary Nurse” certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a hand-carved sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”

“By recognizing nurses who received DAISY awards, we are celebrating their profound compassion and motivation to positively impact the lives of our patients and help them be successful on their unique care journeys,” said Mandy Tilton, DNP, MSN, MBA, RN, CNN, chief nursing officer for DaVita Kidney Care.

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.

“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. “Yet, these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at DaVita are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”