Extraordinary Nurses Recognized at Norwood Hospital

Norwood, MA – January 31, 2017 – Nurses at Norwood Hospital are honored throughout the year with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day and has been presented at Norwood Hospital since 2014. The most recent recipient was honored earlier this month in a surprise ceremony.

Michelle Kelliher, a Mansfield resident who has worked at Norwood Hospital since 1997, was nominated by the Arki family of Braintree, Massachusetts. Michelle attended to Amy Arki and her family throughout the complicated birth of their son, Xavier. In Michelle’s nomination letter, Amy Arki shared, “I very quickly realized that someone had sent me an angel in the form of a nurse named Michelle Kelliher….I am honored to nominate Michelle for a DAISY Award for being an incredible nurse and human being.”
At a presentation given in front of the Michelle’s colleagues in the Small Miracles Maternity Unit and the Arki family, Michelle received a certificate commending her for being an "Extraordinary Nurse." The certificate reads: "In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people."
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. 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. 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.
2016 Recipients of the DAISY Award at Norwood Hospital include Colleen Commerford, Ashlee Demoras and Nicole Parillo.
“We are proud to participate in the DAISY Award program. Our nurses are heroes every day and it’s important they know their work is highly valued,” says Donna Rubinate, Chief Nursing Officer at Norwood Hospital. “Congratulations to Michelle and to all of our DAISY Honorees and Nominees and thank you for the incredible work you do.”