2025 DAISY Award Ceremony

5-8-25 (Lake Village, AR) –April Etheridge, RN and Mary Hollins-Scott, RN of Chicot Memorial Medical Center were recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses and The DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award, respectively. The awards are part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. 

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses nomination submitted for April Etheridge, RN read “April cared for my mother at home during her illness. She was compassionate, kind and so professional. She never rushed through the visit and always listened to my mother and I. She was prompt in speaking with the Dr. and letting us know what we needed to do. Anything we needed she helped us arrange. I have worked in home health, and I know the challenges it presents in serving a patient and she was outstanding. Her caring attitude was felt in every conversation, and she made my mother feel like she was the only person she was caring for. My mother was difficult to draw blood and I watched her patiently search for a vein so there was little to no pain involved. She searched all over and treated her so kindly my mother never realized what was happening. All nurses should be this caring and compassionate. I think April needs the recognition for what a wonderful job she is doing. She treats her patients with respect and makes them feel valuable in a time in their lives when they often do not.”

The DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award nominations submitted for Mary Hollins-Scott, RN included:

• “I have never known CMMC without Mary, on June 2, 2025, she will have worked here 50 years. She took the job in surgery right out of college and became the director many years ago. She is a wonderful example of what a nurse should be, she is kind, caring, smart and dedicated. She has been my nurse on several occasions throughout my life and I always knew I would be taken care of. She has held my hand and prayed with me and for me. I was actually grown before I knew you could have surgery without Mary!! She has mentored countless nurses, making us better for it. Mary is a devoted Christian and that shines through in her care of her patients. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of a lifetime Daisy than my mentor and friend, Mary Hollins-Scott RN.”
• “I would like to nominate Mary Hollins-Scott, RN, for the Daisy Lifetime Achievement Award. She has dedicated nearly 50 years of outstanding service to the nursing profession. I am talking “old school nursing,“ the best kind. My experience with her is not only from working with her for 30 years, but as a patient from time to time. From a patient perspective, you know there will only be one quick IV stick, and you will be tucked in to a warm blanket. Even though you are a nurse as well, she treats you with respect and dignity. She maintains the ultimate caregiver role, making you feel like she can and will take the best care of you no matter what. She has a special gift for providing comfort in scary times in the way she holds your hand and prays with you. And she does this with 100% of her patients. If you look up characteristics of a professional nurse you will find descriptions such as, upholding nursing standards of practice, adhering to a strict code of ethics, integrity, compassion, respect, advocate, responsibility and moral leader. She represents all of this and so much more in the way she treats her co-workers and patients. Leading by example, hard work, professional appearance, and conduct, coming to work while it’s still dark every morning (she might catch a catnap in a meeting), and putting patients first are other attributes that come to my mind. And for the last several years she has done all this while being the primary caregiver for her ailing husband at home. Not only does she not complain, but she also says she is blessed. Her presence here definitely has elevated us all through the years. Mary Hollins-Scott is 100% the patient’s advocate in all situations, whether it involves a provider, another nurse, or a family member. I have seen her have to say “back up” to a young doctor or two in an emergency situation when they lacked experience. But she was able to do that respectfully as well. To a new nurse, she might seem a little scary because she is a stickler for all things patient related. She runs a tight ship 100% of the time. I have not crossed that red line without permission in 30 years! And you better have that surgical checklist done. There is one way to do things the right way. And “work smarter, not harder” she says. If you haven’t seen what a skills guru she is, you are missing out. Not the least of which is starting IVs. Take my word for this – she has a God given talent for finding hidden veins. She is always a team player, all you have to do is say I need some help, and she is right there. Mary has worked countless hours, days, nights, holidays, weekends and has no doubt sacrificed precious time with her family in her dedication to her patients. Not only has she been a leader and an integral part of our hospital, but she has also served as a leader in many community and professional organizations, as well as a spiritual leader. From helping save a life in an emergency, to delivering a baby, running a department, getting called out in the middle of the night, coming in clutch with IVs, giving a bed bath in the middle of the night, holding a dying patient’s hand, I have watched her do it all with grace. I am eternally grateful to have had her as a mentor for so many years. Nursing is not a job or a career for her, it has been her calling, and she answered loud and clear. She is still building her legacy here. But it will for sure be one of character, compassion, strength, and professionalism,”
• “As a 23-year-old soon to be mother I came to the hospital in labor and unsure what was happening. I was met by a nurse with a smile on her face and a soothing voice that said she was going to be there for me and that me and my baby were going to be okay. She calmed my anxiety and yes everything was okay. That was almost 38 years ago. In 2006 I started working at the same hospital as a nurse and I have worked closely with Mary, and I have seen her in action and how she treats all her patients with that same kindness and compassion and caring she showed me all those years ago. She is a mentor, a role model and a nurse who is able to step into any situation and provide support and care. Never afraid to step in and assist in any situation. It’s plain to see she cares deeply about what she does and how her patients feel. She is truly devoted to being a great nurse.”

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes.  Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease.  The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. 

Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, CEO and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do.  The kind of work the nurses at Chicot Memorial Medical Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, please go to http://DAISYfoundation.org

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 4,600 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity,
Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants their new Health Equity Grant program. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.