CRYSTAL LAKE – Nurses at Centegra Health System will soon be honored with the DAISY Award for their extraordinary care for patients.

The nonprofit DAISY Foundation, based in Glen Ellen, Calif., was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. The care Barnes 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.

Centegra’s Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Neil Murphy said, “We are proud to be among the hospitals participating in the DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes every day. Given the current national nursing shortage, the DAISY Award could not be launched at a better time. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued and the DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”