Daniela Huggins Brings Comfort to Dying Patient
ROME, Ga., Feb. 7, 2025 – Daniela Huggins was at a sad place at the right time, and her calming influence made an impression on her teammates as she comforted a woman who had no family present as she passed.
As the patient neared the end of her life, Huggins, a registered nurse at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center, acted as an angel of mercy.
“With the obvious progression that the patient's end of life was occurring, tears dripped off her (Huggins') face. She remained at the patient's bedside, stroking her hair and holding her hand. In a precious, soft, sweet voice she told the patient 'just go to sleep; it's okay,'" wrote a teammate who nominated Huggins for a DAISY Award.
Huggins received the award Thursday during a ceremony on the fourth floor of the hospital.
“On this night, she gave her patient something no one else could," the nomination read. “She was able to calm the fear of death with her gentle hands and soft voice, letting the patient know she was not alone. The peace this nurse provided in the last moments of her patient's life was a genuine act from a real Angel of Mercy."
Huggins has been a teammate with Floyd for almost 12 years.
“I was really surprised that I won," she said. “I did not expect it."
The family of Patrick Barnes established the DAISY Foundation after Barnes died from an autoimmune disease while being treated in a Seattle hospital.
Sheila Bennett, senior vice president and chief of patient services at Atrium Health Floyd, presented Huggins with a DAISY pin, and a sculpture entitled “A Healer's Touch." Members of the Shona ethnic group in Zimbabwe hand-carve the sculptures.
The nurse and her teammates were also treated with cinnamon buns, a DAISY tradition because it was one of the few things Barnes could eat while he was hospitalized.
If you know an Atrium Health Floyd nurse who provided exceptional care of you or a loved one, you can nominate them for a DAISY award by completing this online form.
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 strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-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; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care 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 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.