Published: September 1, 2023
IONIA, MI – Sparrow Ionia Hospital’s Kathleen (Kathy) Raby has received a DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award for demonstrating compassionate care and actively engaging in the development of herself and others throughout her nursing career.
Hospital leaders and caregivers held a surprise ceremony to reveal the honor to Raby, an RN at Sparrow Ionia’s IV Specialty Infusion Center.
Sparrow Ionia Nurse Kathy Raby displays her DAISY Award.
Sparrow Ionia leaders held a surprise ceremony for DAISY Award winner Kathy Raby. From left are Lisa Harris, Chief Nursing Officer; Raby; and Steven Dexter, the hospital’s Director of Operations.
Nominees for the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award are honored for their dedication to nursing through active mentoring, role modeling, advocating for patients, and promoting the positive image of nursing. Lifetime Achievement nurses are nominated for the award by their peers, and Raby was nominated by leaders at Sparrow Ionia.
“Sparrow Ionia has been fortunate to have Kathy Raby as a nurse for over 20 years. She is a wealth of knowledge and works with Dr. Muhammad Hamdan (Medical Oncologist) to continually educate herself and others on all aspects of oncology and chemotherapy to provide high quality, informed care to our patients,” said Sparrow Ionia Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Harris, BSN, RN.
With over 28 years of nursing experience, Raby joined the Sparrow Ionia family in 2002. She was awarded Sparrow Ionia Hospital’s first DAISY Award in 2016 and has since been nominated for countless DAISY Awards over the years. She was honored as Sparrow Ionia Hospital Nurse of the Year in 2019.
As a DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Raby was presented with a certificate of recognition, a DAISY lapel pin, and a hand-carved sculpture entitled The Healer’s Touch on a pedestal with a personalized plaque attached.
The DAISY Foundation is also the founder of the DAISY Award, an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary, compassionate, and skillful care given by nurses every day. Nurses are nominated for the award by their patients and patients’ families. Sparrow Ionia Hospital awards two nurses each year as DAISY Award honorees. In addition, a DAISY Team Award is presented as recognition if merited.
For more information or to nominate an exceptional Sparrow nurse, visit Sparrow.org/Daisy.
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Sparrow is Mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization and includes hospitals in Lansing, Carson City, Charlotte, Ionia and St. John, as well as Sparrow Specialty Hospital, Sparrow Care Network, Sparrow Medical Group, the Michigan Athletic Club, and AL!VE. Sparrow is part of University of Michigan Health. Through the dedication of our 10,000 caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and patient experience. For more information, visit Sparrow.org.