DAISY Award

As the Cardiology Clinic's Congestive Heart Failure Case Manager for the past 10 years, Katy has provided her patients with patient centered compassionate care. 

To demonstrate an example of how Katy goes above and beyond for patients, she recently volunteered her nursing services and support to a patient seen in the UC Davis Renal Clinic. This patient was on multiple transplant wait-lists and was fortunate to receive a kidney transplant at Iowa Methodist Transplant Center in September of 2016. In order to return to the Sacramento area, the patient needed to have a local physician to follow his care and a nurse who would provide care coordination. Because Katy's advance knowledge and skills in managing patients with CHF and liver transplants, she volunteered to assist with this patient's care. In preparation Katy researched and studied literature on renal transplant, immune suppression regimens, signs and symptoms of rejection and lab values that indicate medical problems to report to the MD.

Over the past six months Katy has done an outstanding job as well as tremendous amount of care coordination for this patient. Katy collaborates with the Iowa Methodist transplant team multiple times a week. Katy is responsible for reviewing the patient's lab results and alerting the physician and the transplant team when they are abnormal and concerning test results. Katy has assisted with the coordination of this patient's multiple infusions at the UC Davis Infusion Center as well as the care of his central line. She helped facilitate his specialty referrals when the patient had a need to follow up in the Hematology and Infectious Disease Clinics. On several occasions when the patient had a change in condition, Katy alerted the physician and the Iowa Methodist transplant team. She worked to coordinate the patient's hospital admission to ensure he was admitted in a timely manner.

This patient recently was seen in the Renal Clinic and he expressed his gratitude to his nephrologist for all the care that Katy had provided. The Nephrologist spoke to Katy after the appointment and said " He said you are wonderful. He loves you and is so grateful for everything you are doing for him."

As the Cardiology Clinic CHF Case Manager, Katy has truly gone above and beyond for this patient. When the patient needed nursing support, Katy stepped up and volunteered to manage and coordinate his care. We are so fortune to have such an amazing nurse working within the Cardiology Nephrology Clinic. Katy Suggett is truly an asset to the patients, physicians, fellow colleagues and her supervisors.

About the DAISY Award

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses recognizes outstanding members of the nursing community and the very special work they do every day. It was established by the DAISY Foundation in memory of the extraordinary nursing J. Patrick Barnes received when he was hospitalized. (DAISY is an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system.) This nursing recognition award program offers patients, families, and professional colleagues a way to honor nurses for all they do. The DAISY awardees consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care.