3 nurses at Griffin Hospital in Derby honored with DAISY Award

Tammy Piccolo

Sarah Puglisi

Susanne Festini

DERBY - Griffin Health recently honored Tammy Piccolo, RN, and Sarah Puglisi, RN, both of Ansonia, and Susanne Festini, RN, of Shelton, with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate care nurses provide patients and families every day. 

Winners can be nominated by patients, patients’ family or friends, or fellow caregivers for their exemplary care.

Piccolo, a nurse in Griffin’s 2 North A inpatient unit, was nominated by a fellow caregiver for her commitment to compassionate and responsive care for patients and their loved ones.

“Tammy is a nurse who works tirelessly, never complaining and always ready to go the extra mile for a patient,” the nomination for Piccolo stated. “Recently, a friend's husband spent several days in the Critical Care Unit. Upon transfer, Tammy made sure the patient and his wife were comfortable and had all their concerns addressed. When Tammy was assigned to different patients a few days later, she still made the effort to stop in and check on him.”

Puglisi, a nurse in Griffin’s Critical Care Unit, was nominated by a patient for her empathic nature and focus on clear communication.

“I came into the Critical Care Unit after a procedure to attack a blood clot in my lungs,” the nomination for Puglisi stated. “Sarah immediately made me feel comfortable and safe. She was there all the time, offering reassurance, assistance, and something I really appreciate- a pragmatic and clear expectation of things. Knowing WHY is very important to me. Sarah was always there to give me the answer. She was kind and gentle and made me feel very positive in some very scary moments. Sarah added that element of personal touch that made me feel so important! It’s one of the best feelings one can have in times like this.”

Festini, a nurse in Griffin’s Childbirth Center, was nominated by a patient for her attentive and empathetic care.

“Sue was very patient with me,” the nomination for Festini stated. “I labored for a total of 17 hours and my baby was very active – continually moving away from the fetal monitor. Sue had to come into my room more than 30 times to fix it, and she had a smile every time I saw her. Sue let me lean on her and squeeze her arm when I was contracting. She was there the whole time and congratulated me and my baby girl!”

Information about the DAISY Award is included in Griffin Health patient information packets and nomination forms are available online and at all Griffin Health locations. The award recipients are chosen by a committee at Griffin and the award is presented throughout the year. 

For more information, visit griffinhealth.org/daisy.

About The DAISY Foundation

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. 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. (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.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.