Honoring MDI Health’s First DAISY Nurse Leader Award Recipient: Tonya Brown 

At The DAISY Foundation, the mission is simple yet profound: to recognize the extraordinary compassionate care nurses provide every day. Since bringing the DAISY Program to MDI Health, we have proudly celebrated the impact of our nursing staff through meaningful recognition from patients, families, colleagues, and peers.

Since the inception of the DAISY Program at MDI Health, 51 registered nurses have been nominated for the award, with 19 receiving multiple nominations. To date, five nurses have received quarterly DAISY Awards: Portia Judson, Sally Finnegan, Melanie Clauson, Jocelyn Trenholm, and Jayme Lou Durham.

Last week during Nurses Week, we were proud to expand that recognition to the Nurse Leaders within our organization.

Serving as a nurse leader is both deeply meaningful and incredibly challenging. Nurse leaders are called upon not only to support patients and families, but also to guide staff, collaborate with department leadership, and partner closely with senior leadership teams. Their work touches nearly every aspect of hospital operations and culture, helping ensure that compassionate, high-quality care remains at the center of all we do.

This year, three outstanding nurse leaders were nominated for the inaugural award:

· Barbara Jean Bragdon

· Cynthia Lawson

· Tonya Brown

Each nominee exemplified the compassion, professionalism, mentorship, and dedication that define nursing leadership. However, one individual’s impact stood out through the heartfelt words of her colleagues.

We are honored to recognize Tonya Brown as MDI Health’s first-ever DAISY Nurse Leader Award recipient.

Some of the heartfelt comments shared about Tonya included:

💙 “She is always willing to help.”
🧡 “She listens to our concerns and helps find solutions.”
💙 “She is a person of her word and always follows through.”
🧡 “She has earned tremendous respect through her knowledge and the way she teaches.”
💙 “She always makes education fun.”
🧡 “She is a mentor to new staff and students.”
💙 “She has an open-door policy and responds quickly.”
🧡 “She helps you feel calm, supported, and confident while learning.”

Tonya’s leadership reflects the very spirit of the DAISY Award: compassion, collaboration, excellence, and extraordinary dedication to others.

Please join us in congratulating Tonya Brown on this well-deserved honor as MDI Health’s first DAISY Nurse Leader Award winner.