CentraState Healthcare System announced Kerrie Konior, RN, Oncology, was awarded with the DAISY Foundation’s DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Konior was selected by the DAISY committee of nurses and healthcare leaders at CentraState.
“Kerrie’s commitment to her patients and loyalty to her colleagues make her a role model for the nursing profession,” says Dawn Kline, BSN, RNC-LRN, DHA, Executive Director Maternal Child Health & Nursing Administration. “Her nursing skills and compassion are part of what makes the CentraState nursing team a leader in nursing excellence.”
Konior was nominated by Kelley DeMatteo, Health Unit Coordinator, 3 East Oncology, who cited her exemplary nursing skills, professionalism and concern for patients, in addition to her efforts to support team members. Konior cites her family’s experience when her mother had cancer and how those nurses inspired her to “pay homage to all of them. If I can make the hard things a little easier for a patient and their family, then I have done what I set out to accomplish,” said Konior.
“Kerrie is truly one of the kindest, most compassionate, professional, and most knowledgeable nurses I’ve worked with,” DeMatteo stated. “Her compassion toward her patients never wavers, and she is quick to put their care first. Kerrie is always the first to help her fellow co-workers by picking up extra shifts, and trains and mentors many of our new nurses and all our new patient care technicians.”
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that is the leader in meaningful recognition of nurses and was created to express gratitude by the family of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, 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.
By honoring compassionate nurses, DAISY reinforces the importance of compassion in healthcare, shining a light on all that is right in nursing. Visit daisyfoundation.org to read more about the DAISY Foundation.
About CentraState
CentraState Healthcare System, a partner of Atlantic Health System, is a fully accredited, not-for-profit, community-based health system that provides comprehensive health services in the central New Jersey region. In addition to offering a full range of leading-edge diagnostic and treatment options, CentraState serves as a valuable health partner focused on the latest ways to prevent disease, promote healthy behaviors, and help people of all ages live life well. Based in Freehold, CentraState is comprised of a 284-bed acute-care hospital, a vibrant health and wellness campus, three award-winning senior living communities, a charitable foundation, and four convenient satellite health pavilions. The system also offers a family medicine residency and geriatric fellowship training program in affiliation with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Among its many honors and accreditations, CentraState is one of less than two percent of hospitals nationwide to earn Magnet® designation for nursing excellence four times. To learn more, visit centrastate.com.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
If you are a member of the media and have an inquiry or would like to schedule an interview with an executive, physician, or other clinician, please contact the Public Relations Department at 732-294-7080 during business hours. If the matter is urgent, please contact Joy Lee-Calio, Director of Public Relations & Communications, at joy.lee-calio@centrastate.com