DAISY Award Winner Kellie Bankos Goes ‘Above and Beyond’ to Provide Exceptional Care
| Date Posted: 11/5/2019
Kellie Bankos, R.N., has been recognized as a DAISY Award winner for FirstHealth of the Carolinas.
Bankos, a registered nurse in the Outpatient Cancer Center for Medical Oncology, was nominated for the award by a patient who says she’ll never forget the care Bankos provided. The nomination letter details Bankos’ professionalism and reassuring manner.
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Kellie Bankos, R.N., presented with DAISY Award by Barry Baber, R.N., outpatient cancer center nurse manager, Matt Sheerer, administrative director, outpatient oncology services, Deana Kearns, MSN, R.N., administrative director, corporate education and clinical practice, and Karen Robeano, DNP, chief nursing officer, VP, patient care services. |
“In June, my husband and I walked into the Outpatient Cancer Center for my first chemotherapy treatment. As I burst into tears saying, ‘I can’t do this,’ the treatment area doors opened,” the letter reads. “Standing in the doorway was a woman smiling at me, and she said, ‘Hi, my name is Kellie, and I am going to take care of you today.’”
From that moment on, Bankos went above and beyond, calming nerves and providing the reassurance the patient needed as she “stepped over the most terrifying threshold” of her life.
“My life was about to change forever. Kellie was completely aware of my anxieties, and she explained everything, being attentive to the smallest detail,” the patient explained. “She held my hand, handed me tissues and talked to both me and my husband. During a complication with my therapy, Kellie kept calm and resolved the issue quickly. She showed genuine compassion while caring for a new cancer patient.”
The patient said it’s clear Bankos cares about the person, not just the patient, a goal across FirstHealth of the Carolinas.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was established by the Daisy Foundation, a not-for-profit, based in Glen Ellen, Calif. The foundation was started by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease.
The care Barnes and his family received from nurses inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patients’ families. Today, there are more than 2,800 health care facilities in all 50 states and 17 other countries honoring their nurses with the DAISY Award.
FirstHealth of the Carolinas, which includes Moore Regional Hospital, Moore Regional Hospital – Richmond, Moore Regional Hospital – Hoke and Montgomery Memorial Hospital, recognizes an extraordinary nurse each month, and has since 2014.
For more information on the DAISY Award, or to nominate a deserving nurse, visit FirstHealth’s website.
