Marlee Jones, RN, Earns DAISY Award
ROME, Ga., Nov. 1, 2023 – Solving a communication issue can play a significant role in how patients feel while they are receiving care in the hospital. Marlee Jones, a registered nurse at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center, has been recognized for her ability to overcome a language barrier to make a patient more comfortable.
Jones has been named a DAISY winner. The award honors beside nurses who provide outstanding care.
“The first time this nurse cared for this patient, her caring heart went to work, and she did what she does best: give the most outstanding care, patience and love." Those words are from the teammate who nominated Jones. “Before her intervention, I heard the patient frequently shouting and getting very agitated. I noticed a huge difference in him once she had a couple of days with the patient.
“This nurse spent much time sitting bedside with the patient while working on her laptop to ensure he didn't feel alone," the nomination continued. “She went the extra mile to get the patient an iPad so he could listen to music and watch movies in his native language. Afterward, he was like an entirely different patient, calm and smiling when I entered his room."
“The hospital can be frightening for a patient when they can't communicate their wishes," said Sheila Bennett, senior vice president and chief of patient services at Floyd, who presented the award to Jones. “This award today emphasizes how important it is to really see patients, to see their needs. Because they are all individuals."
Jones, a Pepperell High School and Georgia Highlands College graduate, was surprised by the honor. She has been at Floyd for 2 years.
“It means a lot to me because I really put in a lot of effort. I just love taking care of my patients," Jones said.
The family of Patrick Barnes established the DAISY Award after he died from an autoimmune disease while being treated in a Seattle hospital.
Bennett presented Jones with a DAISY pin and a sculpture entitled “A Healer's Touch." The DAISY sculptures are hand-carved for the DAISY Foundation by members of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.
Jones and her teammates were also given cinnamon buns, a DAISY tradition because it was one of the few things Barnes could eat while he was hospitalized.
About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd employs more than 3,5 00 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at three hospitals: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 304-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; as well as Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health – a freestanding 53-bed behavioral health facility in Rome – and also primary care and urgent care network locations throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 150,000 team members across 67 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $5 billion in annual community benefits.