Honorees and Nominees - Winter 2022

Hina Ahmed, BSN, RN, CMSRN
12A Medical Progressive Care

I wanted to nominate Hina for the DAISY award because she is the best nurse I have ever come across and with my dad’s illness we have been to the hospital and through many nurses. The thing that stands out most about Hina is that she has this ability to make you feel like you are the only person that matters. She did this for my dad and myself. Every time she was his nurse not only did she make sure his needs were met but that mine were also. She is very approachable and has such a good heart. She always made me feel like I was talking to an old friend and I could tell her anything and everything. Going above and beyond her duties as a nurse she would spend many days with us at my dad’s bedside holding his hand comfortingly while listening to all of my stories about what an incredible dad and mother he was to me. One time my car would not start, and I was devastated that I would not be able to be with my dad that day. I have never gone a day without seeing him, but I did not know what I could do. Hina was concerned so she called me to see where I was. As I broke down crying and panicking, she called an Uber for me to come pick me up to take me to the hospital. Once at the hospital she helped me make arrangements and figure out what I needed to do next to get my battery changed in my car. I still can’t believe how much she did for me and my dad because I would never think anyone would do something as kind and compassionate as that for me. For the longest time it was just me and my dad so it was nice knowing that I could relax for a little for once in my life and have someone else worrying about my dad and me. My dad unfortunately did not make it and succumbed to his cancer but I often find myself thinking about Hina and what small act of kindness I can do for someone that would be an example of the kind of love Hina showed us. Thank you.

~ Patient’s daughter

Deanne Smart, BSN, RN
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

I want to nominate Deanne Smart for the DAISY Award.

Dee works in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Infusion Center. Dee came to us after working in management and decided she wanted to go back to patient care. Dee has been an asset to us here in PONC and the patients we serve as she exemplifies our values in the following few examples.

Teamwork: Dee works extremely well with the infusion team, physicians, her patients, and their parents. When Dee is working as the relief Team Leader, she can be counted on to remain calm in all situations and this trickles on down to the team. Short staffed? No complaints. Too many patients? No complaints. Difficult situations? No complaints. Dee has never been one to complain but she will step forward with suggestions for improvement. Dee was team lead on a day that we were exceptionally short. She said all we can do is our best to get these kids in and cared for. At the end of the day a nurse commented “As long as Dee is calm, I stay calm”. This is the type of leader Dee is.

Integrity: Dee can be counted on to speak the truth about any situation. If a mistake happens, she will own it. If she has committed to complete some work, she can be relied on to get the task done. She provides education to her patients on their development level and is very honest with her patients. Open and honest communication can be counted on when interacting with her patients. Dee can be counted on to have difficult conversations, always having the patient’s best interest as the focus.

Compassion: Recently we had a patient die here in clinic. This was completely unexpected. Dee was part of the team performing CPR on the patient. Dee’s strength in leadership shined through this extremely sad situation. After the patient was declared deceased, Dee showed a great deal of compassion to the baby, the baby’s father, and her team. Days such as this are difficult, it is comforting for us to know that everything we could do here was done for the baby. Dee took the time to check in with her peers to make sure they were doing ok after this event.

Wholeness: PONC had our initiation into hiring RN residents. We had two RN residents that were precepted by two very experienced nurses. One of the residents was very successful. The other RN resident had some challenges. To resolve some of the issues I changed her to a new preceptor, and this was Dee. Dee accepted the challenge and wanted to work with the RN resident and help her develop a level of confidence and success. Dee was patient, kind, compassionate and direct with all the many challenges that were presented. Dee and the resident worked together caring for the patients. Dee modeled excellent nursing behavior for the RN resident. She used all the tools to help with the success of this RN resident. There was open dialogue, education, reinforced teaching, consideration of the residents learning style, reviewing the priorities of each patient, encouraged independence, redirected when things were not done correctly and celebrated the successes when things were done right. The resident had an extended training time as we all wanted her to be successful. The resident did learn to build a great rapport with her patients. Throughout this entire preceptor time, Dee remained open minded, changed her teaching style to meet the needs of the resident, never complained and continued to make suggestions to help the resident be successful. Although it was determined this area was not to be the right fit for the resident, I can confidently say Dee did everything she could to help develop this nurse.

Dee is an asset to this clinic, our patients, and her infusion team. On her days off you can find her working in our ER, taking her experience and expertise there when she picks up extra shifts.

~ Nurse Manager

Melanie Martinez, BSN, RN, CPN
7C & 8C Acute Care Pediatrics

My son was born this year - he has complicated/severe gastroschisis, a C.V.L., and has caught CLABSI twice. He’s a strong boy but despite him being so strong he has not yet come home to us. He’s waiting for surgical intervention on his intestines. We have been here a long 6 1/2 months. And yes, it’s been hard on me yes it feels like it’s been years, but I’ve had the most beautiful souls taking care of my son. Every single nurse I’ve ran into has been nothing short of kind to us. But the one that sticks out is Melanie Martinez. I’m always so worried about having people who are willing to do as much as I am for my son. The first time I met her I fell in love with her work ethic and drive to do what’s right. So, I asked if she would be willing to be a primary nurse for my son and she said she was honored to do so. Thing is I’m the one who should be honored. She shows so much passion for her job I know she puts her heart and soul into her work. She comes into work knowing a person’s life is in her hands and she handles it with grace and absolute compassion towards every single child in her care. She stood at my side for most of his journey here. The ups and downs his first babbles his first giggles….and she have stood right at his side at the moments I was scared, and he was at his sickest constantly pushing to make sure he was healing happily. She’s worked alongside me to help me understand his medical needs further. And she has worked alongside others in educating them on his specific needs. She goes above and beyond in educating myself and stressing the issue of complete cleanliness with my son. She’s punctual never a time she’s late ramping down his TPN. She’s meticulous making sure that all of his lines are intact clean and making sure he isn’t showing any form of distress. She’s caring she stood at my side and acted as my backbone for when I was scared to the core the day I found out my son had MRSA. She’s strong seeing my son at his worst and still showing a level head throughout the entire ordeal. She’s giving absolutely willing to educate me and lend her time to speak to me when I just need someone to speak to. She’s kind and sweet my son squeals and reaches for her every day he sees her he remembers her voice. She’s a safe space for me and my son in a hospital I feel so out of place being. I’ve never seen anyone show as much heart as her. And I never expected to run into a person I so genuinely trust with my son’s life and with his healing process. She has become almost like family to me my son reaches to her like she’s his own blood. He trusts her like he trusts me. I am forever grateful this woman stepped foot into my son’s life. Because without her I feel like my child would not be as immensely loved and supported as he is still to this day. Mel, we appreciate you from the bottom of our hearts.

~ Patient’s mother

Jennifer Gorrell – 2800 Pre Op PACU
Logan Olinger – 3700 Neontal ICU
Monica Lynn – 3700 Neontal ICU
Lydia Eng – 3700 Neontal ICU
Jeni Heinz – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Marjorie Yanez – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Gina Swanson – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Georgette Simonian – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Lissa Clark – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Jennifer Kilgore – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Jeni Heinz – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Yoana Sanchez-Gonzalez – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Georgette Simonian – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Prabhdeep Inderias – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Elizabeth Pham – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Coleen Estrella – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Sonia Ward – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Lissa Clark – 4700 Peds Intermediate Step Down
Brittani Alvardo – 4800 Pediatrics Hematology Oncology
Luc Newlin – 5700 Pediatrics ICU

Danielle Mestre – 5700 Pediatrics ICU Kelly Wolff-Pena – 5700 Pediatrics ICU
Jennifer Antonio – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Leticia Luza – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Manvir Kaur – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Manvindar Gill – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Melanie Matinez – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Thao Nguyen – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Krista Voskeritchian – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Amna Cristi Fadri – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Melu Jean Malimban – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Robert John Guevarra (Bobby) – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Esperanza Elizarraraz – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Patricia Moncada – 7C 8C Acute Care Pediatrics
Aaron Yanez – Maternal Fetal Medicine
Maegan Garcia – Maternity Services
Letai Safotu – Maternity Services
Jessica Sacca – Maternity Services
Kimberly Angeles – Pediatric Emergency Department
Vanessa Marin – Pediatric Emergency Department
Taylor Stewart – Peds Cardiac Perianesthesia Care Unit
Lizette Lopez – Peds Cardiothoracic ICU
Maribel Pinedo – Peds Emergency Department
John Nolfe – Supplemental Staffing Network
Debra Bogar – Supplemental Staffing Network

Danny Na, BSN, RN
Case Management

This nurse is more than extraordinary he deserves a standing ovation for all his hard work and dedication. Danny Na exhibits everything you envision when thinking about what a healer’s touch should be. Danny's day-to-day interactions with some of the "more challenging" patients never seem to deter him from providing quality care. Danny Na's contributions go beyond direct patient care He is a role model mentor humanitarian and the most exceptional team player. Danny understands and celebrates the unique strength of all team members Every day that Danny works is a meaningful story. His time at LLUBMC has contributed to a lifetime impact on all the patients he has serviced. There are many impactful situations that Danny has contributed too but one that stands out is when he sat on the floor next to a patient. The patient was having a hard time getting off the floor due to his mental health and Danny sat next to him and talked to him while reassuring the patient that he was safe. Danny not only provided the patient exceptional service he made him feel understood. Danny's contribution and dedications to LLUBMC is most admirable.

~ Staff

Top DAISY Nominees

• Cassandra Galvez
• Kimberly Key

Nominees

• Athalia Marie Ayuco - IP Adolescent

Kimberly Hillyer, DNP, RN, LNC, NNP-BC
Advanced Practice Services – Pediatrics

In thinking about DAISYs, I see someone whose passion drives them to always want to be the best, someone who is loyal, a person that continually looks at different ways to improve their profession and a person the while aware of their surroundings, uses setbacks as steppingstones, uses accomplishments as examples, seamlessly together so that others can be inspired to make their world a more beautiful world. Today, I would like to nominate Dr. Kimberly Hillyer for the DAISY Award.

Dr. Hillyer started her nursing career in the NICU as a bedside nurse. She quickly found that she aspired to be a neonatal nurse practitioner. After meeting the requirements for school, she applied and was granted admissions to Loma Linda University School of Nursing. I met her here and immediately I knew that she was a very special person. I found her tireless desire to know and understand material and her attention to detail spoke volumes about her passion for her tradecraft.

After our training, Kim remained on at Loma Linda, while I moved around to several different facilities. When I returned, I found her still tirelessly working to improve her knowledge of our profession, and as well I could see how much she had grown. When she communicated with neonatologist they listened. She has remained at LLU her entire career and just recently celebrated her 20th anniversary which illustrates her loyalty to Loma Linda.

Kim’s has always been one of our top NNP’s when it comes to advancing our practices. She is consistently going to get information to share with parents from the pharmaceutical representatives. She has taken the lead countless times in the orientation of newly graduated NNP’s. She is constantly working with resident physician, helping them become better physicians. She also has helped develop several different documents in epic that the entire unit uses from progress notes to history and physicals. It is not uncommon to hear our neonatologist, when it comes to creating a document for epic, the group will say, “We better get Kim on it.” Away from the unit, Kim hosts a podcast sponsored by Neonatology Today where she talks to industry leaders in neonatology about new advances, just so that others will have access to that knowledge.

Finally, like all of us, Kim has had several setbacks. While for many the types of setbacks that she has been subjected to is crippling for most, she has rose up to the challenges and dealt with them. In my conversations with her about these challenges and why she is so driven, her reply was, “I am because of my family. Because I want my children to know that while there are challenges, those challenges are there so that we can make a better tomorrow”. It is with great admiration and adoration I nominate Dr. Kimberly Hillyer for the DAISY Award.

~ Fellow Nurse Practitioner

Top DAISY Nominees

• Keila Caetano Schulz – Diabetes Treatment Center
• Ritaben Patel – Advanced Practice Services - Pediatrics

Nominees

• Julie Pimentel – Diabetes Treatment Center
• Julie Hill – Advanced Practice Services - Peds
• Ernest Johnson – CRNA

Tamara Clare, BSN, RN
Medical Telemetry

As a fellow nurse, having a nurse that we can go to without judgement or hesitation is something that we find comfort in Tamara. As a nurse, I feel safe for my patient, and she is the first to advocate and the first to offer help for both patients and nurses. She shows great leadership and when I am overwhelmed with patients’ family or with an unstable patient, she is the first to help. She is someone that moves forward with a positive attitude and provides care for her colleagues and patients. One situation came to mind, I had one patient that was verbally abusive, one patient that was complaining of chest pain, and one coming back from a procedure. Without me even speaking up because she was able to recognize my needs. She is a mentor and a great, extraordinary nurse that is the epitome of the DAISY Award.

~ Fellow Nurse

Top DAISY Nominees

• Carrie Fowler – Pre Op/PACU
• Hannah Simmons – PCU/Cardiac Telemetry
• Amor Regner – PCU/Cardiac Telemetry
• Gerhaldine Calaguas – General Surgery

Abigail Garcia – Medical Telemetry
Allison Nava – Medical Telemetry
Rachel Brown – Medical Telemetry
Trang Lee – General Surgery
Brian Lynn – Operating Room
Mary Geray – PCU Cardiac Telemetry

Joanrae Miller – Critical Care Resource Team
Chelsey Jimenes – PCU Cardiac Telemetry
Hannah Simmons – PCU Cardiac Telemetry
Colleen Gudehus – PCU Cardiac Telemetry
Hannah Simmons – PCU Cardiac Telemetry
Jessica Carter – Medical Telemetry

Lanette Campagne, BSN, RN
1300 Medical Acute

On one particular day during the busiest shift which is shift change, one particular patient that has TBI went off with erratic behavior and using a lot of profanity words towards staff by making a statement that he will kill himself, hurting the staffs and physician. Security has been called multiple times to calm him down. I witnessed Lanette Campagne who was a charge nurse that day, able to talk him down. She took her time with calm voice and demeanor despite of the patient continue to yell at her, threatened her and called her names, she able to reach out to him. Lanette was able to engage and establish that trust with him by talking about patient’s best accomplishment in his life, his hobby, and his family. It was amazing to see how Lanette was able to develop that strong nurse-patient relationship. Lanette was able to connect by listening with true empathy, compassion, being sensitive to his needs, his feelings by understanding his situation and perspective. Despite of busy shift and other crazy things happened on the unit that day Lanette has proved that she is a great front-line leader as a charge nurse on the unit, an example as a patient advocate that she reflects Loma Linda’s values and providing extraordinary compassionate care that Lanette should be recognized as outstanding role models in our nursing community – The DAISY Award!

~ Nurse Manager

Top DAISY Nominees

• Christham White Windross – Advanced Urgent Care
• Chelsea Bakke – Advanced Urgent Care​

Nominees

• Floren Leev – Case Management Rehab
• Scott Cronquist – 1300 Medical Acute
• Paige Lenders – 1200 Surgical Acute

Danya Egger-Rasmussen, BSN, RN
Outpatient Surgery Center

Danya had a patient that was so scared of IVs and refused to be touched without relaxing meds. Danya tried talking to the patient first, very patiently, but the patient kept refusing IV without relaxing meds. The problem is patient has not signed consent yet so relaxing meds cannot be given, and the surgeon is still in the OR doing a previous case. So Danya went out of her way, talked to the anesthesiologist, and discussed what could be done with the patient's fear of IVs. Per anesthesiologist, meds could be given only if consent is signed. Danya went and talked to the surgeon to consent the patient. She got the surgical team send a resident doctor to the room to consent the patient, the anesthesia team to go to the room to explain anesthesia procedure. When everything was done, Valium was given to the patient and so the patient relaxed and IV was started. I admired the way she advocated for the patient, stopping at nothing to safely break the status quo just so the patient's needs can be met.

~ Fellow Nurse

Top DAISY Nominees

• Joanna Fuertez – 2100 Surgical Acute
• Karen Del Rosario – 2100 Surgical Acute
• Ruth Houng – Outpatient Surgery Center Perianesthesia
• Sheryl Ibarra – 2100 Surgical Acute

Nominees

• Stelia Stoltzfus – Outpatient Surgery Center
• Darcee Drumright – 2100
• Tarik Townsend – 2100
• Kelli Dimagio – 2100
• Vilma Cruz – Outpatient Surgery Center

Janae Jones, MSN, RN, CCRN-K
Director, Patient Care
Pediatric Critical Care Service Line

Janae Jones is the epitome of human understanding and compassion. She is the Patient Care Director for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and although the events that led to this nomination took place some time back, the impact of her compassion continues to this day and has left an indelible mark on our PICU patients and their families. I believe that she is deserving of a DAISY award and would like to submit her name for consideration.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that our PICU teams are faced with shifting their efforts from stabilization and life-sustaining support to supporting grieving parents and families due to patients having grim prognoses after trauma, chronic illness or unexpected shifts in their acuity. This phenomenon is not unique to LLUCH and there have been many recent viral videos capturing the shock and trauma of such moments such as videos depicting families of organ donors hearing their child’s heartbeat for the first time after their loss. Watching one such video triggered a deep sense of empathy and compassion for a donor’s parents which led Janae to wanting to create something that would be a lasting and cherished memory for our patients’ parents.

The idea that maybe we can give parents a way to preserve the sound of their child’s heartbeat, to help them as they grieve, began to formulate in her mind. Janae worked quickly to bring her idea to fruition and began by quietly purchasing sound recorders that make 10-second recordings. Her intent was to have the patient’s heartbeat recorded onto the device then place the sound recorders in a stuffed teddy bear so that parents could hear their child’s heartbeat. The families that received these recordings were so incredibly thankful to be able to still hear their child’s heartbeat whenever they squeezed the bear.

Janae shared her idea with her team and the team embraced her idea. After a brief trial period, and upon her promotion to Patient Care Director for the pediatric ICUs at LLUCH, she collaborated with our LLUCH Foundation department to secure funding and donations to make this a sustainable practice in the PICU. Because of her vision and compassion, Janae spearheaded creation of an irreplaceable gift that aids in bringing comfort and healing to grieving parents. Families that have received them have been incredibly grateful for the bears and being a part of creating this cherished moment for our patients and their families has enriched our teams’ lives and helped strengthen resiliency during sad and stressful moments. Because of Janae’s continued advocacy for our patients and their loved ones, we have been blessed to have bears and recorders donated by the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Guild (one of our local donor guilds who are passionate about improving care and patient experience at LLUCH) such that we are able to continue to provide these bears to our grieving families.

When we know a patient is dying, or being discharged on hospice, our caregivers in the PICU will record the child's heartbeat so the family has a lasting memory. The loss of a child is tragic and often unexpected, no one plans to come to the hospital with their child and leave without them. Giving families this memory of their child to take home with them is a gift we are thankful to be able to provide.

~ Senior Nurse Leader

Top DAISY Nominees

• Amber Olson, Nurse Manager – Acute Care Pediatrics
• Jennifer Pruitt, Director Patient Care – Cardiac Service Line
• Kyle Walter, Admin Charge Nurse – Adult Emergency Department
• Renel Zezima, Nurse Manager – 8A Medical ICU