Congratulations to DAISY Award winner, Laura Salazar RN

As a designated Magnet hospital, Huntington is a recognized leader in nursing excellence. Every day, our nurses go above and beyond for our patients, and we are proud to recognize them for their efforts. Huntington Hospital’s recent DAISY Award winner, Laura Salazar RN, NICU, was nominated by an employee who wrote the following:

“This NICU is a special place, full of people who root for one another – people who hope, pray and love with all their might, and people who notice details in every tiny moment. Magic is witnessed nearly daily, most of which goes unnoticed. Lucky for me, I noticed a beautiful moment between one of my colleagues and a NICU parent.

Laura was working in a busy room with me. She was hustling and taking pristine care of her patients. I watched as a nurse wheeled in a parent, placing the wheelchair near her. The parent was crying. It didn’t take Laura long to notice that the tears were not emotional tears, but tears of physical pain. Laura knelt in front of the wheelchair, looked the parent in the eye and said, ‘Why are you crying?’

The parent saw her genuine concern and informed her that an overwhelming physical pain was transpiring. Laura honed in even further, stretching her healing wings when she asked, ‘What do you like to be called?’

The parent told her, and the name was different from the chart. Laura said, ‘I understand. You are safe here, you know that? I will call you by this name, and we will control your pain.’

She called the unit and advocated for adequate pain control. The parent then opened up further, confiding in her that he was undergoing gender affirming surgeries. She held his hand and said, ‘I am proud of you. This was brave of you.’ She nurtured this parent’s heart and soul by validating his feelings and accepting him.

Laura told me later, ‘People want to be loved, fed and feel safe. If we can do that for people, then we can truly care for them and make them feel good from the inside out.’ This is her practice. She loves to love others. This is a nurse I am proud to work with. Laura leads by example and makes her loudest noise sound like unconditional love. This is why nursing is both an art and a science. She makes an art out of loving others.”

Congratulations, Laura, for this well-deserved recognition! For more information about the DAISY Award, click here.