Atrium Health Floyd RN Sam Traylor Wins DAISY Award
ROME, Ga., Aug. 7, 2024 – The care Sam Traylor provided a young patient in the Emergency Care Center at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center left more than a positive impression on the 8-year-old boy.
The child had been experiencing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever for a few days. He was dehydrated, very weak and scared. But Traylor, a registered nurse in the ECC, knew just what to do.
“This nurse made him feel very comfortable and was very skilled at his job," a family member wrote. “The first thing my nephew needed was an IV. His nurse knew he was dehydrated but worked very carefully and confidently to get the IV access he needed to get better."
The boy's experience later at another facility did not go as smoothly and he remembered Traylor's gentle touch.
“He is only 8, but he remembered the kindness, compassion and patience his nurse showed to him when he was in the ER. I truly believe this nurse made a lasting impression on my nephew just by being himself. My nephew and family appreciate you," the boy's uncle wrote.
As a result, Traylor received a DAISY Award Tuesday. The international program recognizes bedside nurses for the exceptional care they provide. A patient or the patient's family must nominate winners.
“I think this really shows how important it is to make that human connection," said Sheila Bennett, senior vice president and chief of patient services at Atrium Health Floyd, who presented the award to Traylor. “Once you make that human connection with a patient, you become part of their story and you change their life forever."
Traylor said the time he spent with the boy was memorable, and that situation illustrated why he enjoys being a nurse.
“I remember that little guy. He was a tough kid. He was inspiring," Traylor recounted. “When we are presented a problem, we have an opportunity to help fix it and help people out."
The family of Patrick Barnes established the DAISY Award after Barnes died from an auto-immune disease while being treated in a Seattle hospital.
Bennett presented Traylor with a DAISY pin and a sculpture entitled “A Healer's Touch." Members of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe hand-carve the sculptures.
The nurse and his teammates were also treated with cinnamon buns, a DAISY tradition because it was one of the few things Patrick 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 3,500 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. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.
About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, which was created from the combination with Advocate Aurora Health. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is its academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association's Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing $2.8 billion last year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.
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. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. 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 155,000 teammates across 69 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 providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.