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Andalusia Health recently held nominations for its Winter 2022 DAISY Award with registered nurse Leigh Smith recognized as the recipient.

“I am very honored to know that my hard work and dedication to nursing is recognized. I appreciate being nominated and to be part of this prestigious international award,” Smith said.

As a certified emergency nurse and a certified pediatrics emergency nurse, Smith embodies the PETALs attributes by her Passion, Empathy, Teamwork, Admirable Attributes and her Love of nursing. In one of her nominations, she was recognized for her attention to detail in making sure that the patients are as comfortable as possible.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was created in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at 33 of ITP, an autoimmune disease. The Barnes family was awestruck by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of the nurses who cared for Patrick, so they created this international award to say thank you to nurses everywhere.

The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award is an international recognition program that honors and celebrates the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. The family of J. Patrick Barnes established the DAISY Foundation after he died from complications of the autoimmune disease ITP in 1999. During his hospitalization, they deeply appreciated the care and compassion shown to Patrick and his entire family. When he died, they felt compelled to say “thank you” to nurses in a very public way. The DAISY Nurse Leader Award recognizes nurses who are extraordinary in the impact they have on compassionate patient care. Honorees can be any nurse leader who impacts patient care directly including supervisors, managers, educators or nurses who specialize in case management, informatics or patient flow.

“She works hard in the emergency department, while going back to school to get her bachelor’s at Troy University. She loves the pace of the emergency department and the adrenaline of helping people as quickly as possible. On top of that, the best part of working here is that she gets to work with her sister Melissa. Her motivation to do better is to be the best she can be and be a role model to her kids,” an Andalusia Health press release stated.

She is married to Michael Smith, and they have three children: Addy, Lilly, and Emmy. In her spare time, she spends time with kids and family.

About Andalusia Health

Andalusia Health, a 2005, 2007 and 2011 recipient of Thomson-Reuters Top 100 Hospital designation, is an 88-bed acute care facility that has served the heart of South Alabama since 1966. Andalusia Health is also accredited by the Joint Commission. The hospital offers a wide range of diagnostic, therapeutic, emergency and surgical services. Comprehensive cancer care is available on Andalusia Health’s campus with services provided by 21st Century Oncology offering radiation oncology and Sacred Heart Oncology offering chemotherapy and infusion services.