A registered nurse at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon has been honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

Heather Esmon works in the Critical Care Unit at SSM and was nominated for being present and in-tune with her patients’ needs and specifically for helping bring peace to a patient during her final moments.

A terminally ill hospitalized patient was very worried about her pet dog.  With no one else to care for the dog, the patient was distressed and consumed with fear of what would happen to the animal.   Esmon promised the patient she would go to her home, pick up her dog, and care for it until a permanent home could be found.  Esmon could not keep the dog permanently as the dog did not care for children and Esmon has a small son.

The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day, and is sponsored locally by SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation.

Learn more about this special award at https://www.daisyfoundation.org/. Anyone can nominate an SSM Health extraordinary nurse; nomination information and forms are located in the hospital’s cafeteria.