Jessica Porter, Registered Nurse at South Georgia Medical Center, was named the April DAISY Award recipient for extraordinary nursing care.
According to the nomination, Porter went above and beyond to facilitate communication and display compassion toward a patient, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and positive for COVID-19, and her family.
The patient’s daughter shared that her mother was admitted to a COVID unit to begin her cancer treatment. Being alone and unable to have visitors, her mother was scared and really wanted her children to be with her and to hug them one more time.
Porter stepped up to fill that void; she sat with her mother, talked with her and ensured she had everything she needed to be comfortable.
“She would hold mom’s phone for 10-15 minutes so we could see her, cry with her and chat with her via facetime. Jessica even stayed over her schedule at times to make sure mom was given her treatments and other medications,” read the nomination. “Her and mom bonded and really jived, as mom would say.”
Porter went out of her way to help make the patient comfortable, even getting her items such as coco butter lotion, Gatorade and peanut butter crackers.
The patient’s daughter explained, “The day we made the decision to remove mom from life support Jessica was off, but she drove to the hospital and dressed out just to be there with us and support us through the most difficult time in our lives. It was our first time meeting her but she felt like family.”
“Jessica has been a nurse here for almost three years and has worked our Covid unit since day one. She is always up to date on her Covid research even on her days off. Jessica is an advocate for all patients and is truly remarkable. She has really stepped up and shined through this past year and we’re glad to be able to recognize her with this prestigious award,” said SGMC nurse manager Emily Wetherington.
Porter has been with SGMC since July of 2018.
SGMC continues to ask patients and fellow employees to honor nurses they feel go above and beyond in their actions and care. Nominations are reviewed by a committee based on criteria that include compassion, teamwork, leadership, attitude, and skills and knowledge.
DAISY awards are presented monthly in front of the nurse’s colleagues, physicians, patients, and visitors. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” They also receive a beautiful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
To nominate a nurse for the DAISY award, visit sgmc.org.