I am honored to have the opportunity to nominate Elizabeth Herndon for the DAISY Award at the Somerset clinic. Elizabeth has been a respected VA employee for over 20 years. 

Integrity: A prime example of integrity is a Veteran who comes into the clinic weekly for a small procedure. He will not allow any other nurse to perform this nursing procedure on him. He insists on Elizabeth taking care of him. He trusts her wholeheartedly and says he has the utmost confidence in her care.

Commitment: If this Veteran doesn’t show up for his appointments with her or even if he’s late, she calls him to check on him and makes sure he is okay.

Advocacy: Elizabeth is a true advocate for all her patients. She goes above and beyond to make sure her Veterans are taken care of no matter what. She advocates for our older Veterans who would benefit from Home Based Primary Care. We recently had a 94-year-old Veteran driving a great distance to Somerset Clinic because he was not aware this service was even available. He was excited to learn that the VA team could come to him, and this would prevent him from having to drive such a long distance to the Somerset Clinic.

Respect: Elizabeth always has and shows the utmost respect for every Veteran. She is very respectful of their thoughts and opinions at every visit. Based on patients’ complaints that day, she will recommend the best line of treatment offered by the Provider. If the patient doesn’t agree or questions the action plan, Elizabeth will continue talking with the patient and will try to explain better what was recommended and why.

Excellence: Elizabeth's situational awareness is top-notch. She takes the utmost pride in her Pact Team and Veterans. She wants the best care to be given to each and every veteran who walks through our doors. She knows what her Pact Team can bring to the floor, and she expects nothing but the best.