Elizabethtown, NY – Every other week, Donna Haynes settles in for another infusion at University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital – a routine that has become part of her life for more than a year and a half.

The visits can be long. The questions don’t always come all at once. And like many patients managing ongoing treatment, Haynes has learned that what happens in between appointments matters just as much as the care she receives while she’s there.

It was in those moments – the questions that linger, the need for reassurance and the search for answers – that one nurse began to stand out: Jessica Wescott, RN.

“Jessica has gone out of her way to educate me on ways to improve my quality of life,” Haynes says. “If she doesn’t know the answer to my questions, she always finds the time to gather information and report the answer to me the same day, even if it’s a phone call later.”

For Haynes, it’s that follow-through that makes a difference – care that doesn’t end when the appointment does. It’s an important part of building relationships with infusion patients that often grow over weeks, months and sometimes years.

Haynes says she’s also noticed how Wescott shows up for others.

“I’ve watched Jessica with her fellow co-workers, and she is always willing to lend a hand where needed,” Haynes says.

Colleagues say Wescott brings a listening ear and steady support to every patient she sees.

Wescott’s approach – combining knowledge, compassion and a willingness to go the extra step – is what led Haynes to nominate her for the DAISY Award, a national recognition honoring nurses who make a meaningful difference in the lives of their patients.

“Jessica has a broad range of knowledge and willingness to go above and beyond,” Haynes adds. “I feel she deserves the DAISY Award.”

Wescott was honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses during a surprise ceremony with her colleagues earlier this month. During the award presentation, she received a certificate commending her as an extraordinary nurse. Tate-Gutierrez, like all honorees, also received a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” which is hand-cared by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital launched the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in 2022 to recognize and reward licensed nurses for making a meaningful difference in the lives of their patients. A nomination form can be filled out online at UVMHealth.org. Nurses may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues.  A committee reviews nominations and awards a deserving nurse each quarter. 

The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. The DAISY Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System). The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. More information is available at DAISYfoundation.org.       

University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
75 Park Street
Elizabethtown, NY 12932

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About Elizabethtown Community Hospital

University of Vermont Health – Elizabethtown Community Hospital is a not-for-profit critical access hospital with locations in Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga and six community-based primary care centers serving Essex County and the Adirondack Park region. As part of a rural academic health system serving Vermont and northern New York, we provide essential emergency, inpatient, rehabilitation and specialty care close to home. Together, we deliver access to leading-edge technology, advanced treatment options and the highest level of compassionate care while addressing the critical needs and unique challenges facing our patients, their families and our employees.

About University of Vermont Health Network

University of Vermont Health Network is a rural academic health system with more than 100 years of service to small towns and cities across Vermont and northern New York. We are deeply committed to reimagining rural health in ways that will benefit our communities for generations to come and keep exceptional care close to home. Our system includes an academic medical center, two community hospitals, three critical access hospitals, a children’s hospital, a cancer center, a multispecialty medical group, 154 outpatient sites and care beyond the hospital through home health, hospice care, four skilled nursing facilities and other support services. Our care is informed by an essential partnership with University of Vermont’s The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Together, as a health system serving a rural area, we are tackling health care’s biggest challenges — supporting the communities we serve and investing in our employees by addressing housing affordability, quality childcare and professional development needs. To learn more, visit us at www.uvmhealth.org.

Caption Pic #1 (Jessica Wescott DAISY Pic.jpg): Jessica Wescott, RN proudly displays her DAISY Award certificate. Wescott was honored for combining knowledge, compassion and a willingness to go the extra step while caring for Donna Haynes, a patient receiving infusions at University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital. The DAISY Award recognizes nurses who make a meaningful difference in the lives of their patients and is based on nominations from patients, families and co-workers. Learn more at UVMHealth.org.