SVHC Announces DAISY Award Winner

BENNINGTON, VT—May 19, 2022—Brittany Felton, RN, a Medical/Surgical nurse, was the May recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC).

“Patients appreciate Brittany’s motivational spirit and her extraordinary attention to their unique needs,” said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, SVHC’s chief nursing officer and vice president for Patient Care Services. “As one family member put it, she helps patients feel more like themselves.”

Duchene gave the award during a surprise presentation on 2 West at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 11, 2022.

Felton received three nominations from patients.

One nominator wrote, “Brittany took time to really explain what I must do. She really encouraged me to work hard to get better. She pushed me to … focus on my recovery … She was a great cheerleader.”

In another nomination, the patient’s spouse described Brittany’s genuine compassion and her willingness to listen, including how she talked the patient through the anxiety of her diagnosis and comforted her feelings about being away from her family during the weeks of her hospital stay.

“I was very glad to see her training a nursing student on one of [my wife’s] last days [in the hospital],” the patient’s spouse wrote.  “They picked the exact right person for training.”

After having received the award, Felton said, “I feel overwhelmed. The love and support I get from SVMC has made me the nurse that I am today, and it’s an amazing feeling to be recognized for it. Each of the patients who nominated me have a special place in my heart.”

Felton holds an associate’s in nursing from Vermont Tech. She has worked as an RN at SVMC for 6 years. Previously, she worked as an licensed practical nurse in a private-care capacity.   

The DAISY Award is part of a national merit-based recognition program established by the DAISY Foundation. It celebrates nurses’ education, training, and skill. Nominations can be submitted by patients, families, physicians, and colleagues. All nominations are blinded, so that they are anonymous before being reviewed by a selection committee. One nurse is then chosen as the DAISY Award winner. DAISY Awards are presented on a regular basis, usually bi-monthly or quarterly.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, healthcare system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index in 2020 and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. It has also received the highest marks possible from the Leapfrog Group. The health system is fortunate to have the support of platinum-level corporate sponsor Mack, a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts based in Arlington, VT.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.