SVMC Case Management Honored with DAISY Team Award

Left to right: Caitlin Tilley, BSN, RN, director of the Transitions of Care; Donna Smith, RN, BSN, CCM, supervisor of the case management and social services; Case Manager Wendy Cottrell, RN, BSN, CCM; Case Manager Sarah Sigsbury, RN, BSN, CCM; and Serena Toney. Not shown is Case Manger Kathleen Christensen, RN, BSN, CCM.

BENNINGTON, VT—March 17, 2022—The Case Management team at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), was the recipient of the DAISY Team Award for Extraordinary Nurses in February. The department was nominated by a colleague who recognized the group’s extraordinary efforts to satisfy the complex needs of their patients.

“Our Case Management team brings the very highest level of skill and compassion to every single patient,” said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, SVHC’s chief nursing officer and vice president for Patient Care Services. “This weighty task requires extraordinary teamwork and the ability to bring professionals from all over the health system, both at SVMC and organizations outside, together for patients’ benefits. It’s not an easy job, but they do it really well.”

Duchene presented the award during a surprise presentation in the Case Management office on Wednesday, February 16.

The Case Management team is made up of four full-time staff members. They coordinate post-hospital care for approximately 16 patients each at any given time. They work closely with patients, families, bedside nurses, therapists, dietitians, physicians, community agencies, and insurance companies.

“We work very hard to ensure that each patient is cared for in the way that best suits their needs,” said Donna Smith, RN, BSN, CCM, supervisor of the case management and social services. “Receiving the DAISY Team Award for those efforts is so meaningful. We are honored.”

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, health care 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. SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index 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. 

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.