I proudly nominate the nurses of 4 West for the DAISY Award for the extraordinary compassionate and skillful care they provide to their patients. As a physical therapist assigned to these units caring for Covid patients for the past year, I observed firsthand, time after time, the outstanding care these amazing nurses provided for their patients.

They showed unbelievable patience, compassion, encouragement, and kindness towards their Covid patients in addition to providing the most excellent nursing care. The nurses worked tirelessly, often working extra shifts, to care for these patients and were highly committed to getting our patients well. They battled a new disease that we’ve never dealt with before with strength, resiliency, and selflessness. They encouraged and supported our patients when they could hardly breathe and constantly monitored the oxygen saturation levels and oxygen needs of our patients to help them get well. The nurses rose to the challenge of learning new respiratory and medication treatments for this unique population and showed true collaboration with physicians and respiratory therapists.

I often heard the nurses call family members to update them on the status of their loved ones and heard the kindness, patience, and compassion they demonstrated to the families. They provided comfort to and held the hand of many who were dying and arranged final video calls for these unfortunate patients. I was blown away by the teamwork I saw among the nurses and PCAs to give the best care to their patients and no words can capture their extraordinary efforts.

There are too many examples and patient stories that could be shared to demonstrate why the nurses of 4 West are DAISY Nurses. I give them the highest praise and gratitude for rising to the challenge of caring for our Covid patients and for the super-human work that they do.