From left, SCHHC Chief Nursing Officer Cori Valet, Katie Witt, RN, with her daughter, CEO Raymond Hino, and Emergency Department Manager Nick Lucas.
BANDON – Katie Witt, RN, a nurse in the Emergency Department at Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center, was recently honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at a ceremony in the hospital’s cafeteria.
The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.
“In deep appreciation of all she does, who she is, and the incredibly meaningful difference she makes in the lives of so many people, we recognize Katie Witt as this quarter’s DAISY Award Honoree,” said SCHHC Chief Nursing Officer Cori Valet.
“Katie demonstrated the exceptional nursing skills that inspired the creation of the DAISY Award,” Valet added.
Nurses can be nominated for the award by patients, families, and colleagues. SCHHC presents two DAISY Awards per year at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors.
“We are pleased to award Katie Witt as our fourth DAISY Award honoree,” said SCHHC CEO Ray Hino. “We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program. Nurses go above and beyond 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.”
The DAISY Award was created to honor and recognize the outstanding efforts nurses make to provide extraordinary care to patients. In addition to Witt, the following nurses were nominated this quarter (names with asterisks have been nominated previously):
- Julie Buck
- Kristina Campina
- Tamie Farinacci*
- Benjamin Koutsopoulos
- Catherine Long-Spinner
- Maggie Ohlsen*
From left: DAISY Award honoree Katie Witt, RN, with her daughter; Maggie Ohlsen, RN; Benjamin Koutsopoulos, RN; Julie Buck, LPN; and Tamie Farinacci, RN. Not pictured: Catherine Long Spinner, RN; and Kristina Campina, RN.
“It is important to acknowledge that every nomination received from a grateful patient, family member, or co-worker is a meaningful recognition of the nurse who receives it,” Valet said.
Nomination Story
“I was very dehydrated, and she was very kind,” said SCHHC Dietary Manager Rita Hamilton, who nominated Witt after spending time in the hospital. “I have very deep veins, so I showed her what veins work for IVs and she actually listened to me and did her job with kindness. She kept me occupied while doing the IV and got it in on the first try! I felt very heard by her.
“I had a migraine, and she got me meds immediately and got me feeling much better,” added Hamilton, who attended the ceremony so she could personally congratulate Witt. “She is a great nurse and should be recognized. She worked with no ego and all heart. This place needs 100 more like her.”
Witt was hired at SCHHC in 2020. She graduated from Southwestern Oregon Community College and after working as a travel nurse at Riverbend in Springfield for a stint during the COVID-19 pandemic, she came back to the South Coast and now lives in Port Orford. She currently is scheduled on weekend days, which works well for her family, including a 16-year-old, an 8-year-old, and a 15-month-old daughter.
Witt has wanted to be a nurse since she was young, when her father became ill.
“He was really sick and I had a very impactful experience with a nurse in the ICU,” Witt said. “But I was a young single mom, so it took me a while to get there.”
Witt enjoys her career.
“I especially love the Emergency Department because I like the variety and the fast-paced environment, and I love to take care of patients and help their families process what they are going through,” Witt said. “I especially like that I’m always learning new things.”
Witt was pleased to receive the DAISY Award.
“It was really special for me, especially because it came from a patient and it’s also special that it was a coworker,” Witt said. “That a patient took the time to go out of their way to recognize me – that’s one reason I’m a nurse. It was very meaningful.
“I love my coworkers at Southern Coos,” Witt added. “I like that it’s a smaller hospital and we work closely with the providers to have a smooth workflow. We all become family.”
Each DAISY honoree receives a certificate commending them as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
This quarter, an anonymous donor gifted the honoree with a special glass sculpture via the Southern Coos Health Foundation, which was presented to Witt by Foundation Executive Director Alix McGinley. The donor will also provide funding for a permanent plaque in the hospital to display DAISY Award honorees.
Nominations can be made online at https://southerncoos.org/daisy or pick up a nomination form from one of the displays at Southern Coos Hospital or from the admitting desk in the hospital’s main lobby or the Multi-Specialty Clinic.
More information about the DAISY Award and it’s history is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
