2 minute read
RMCHCS Honors Lisa Cope, RN, with the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses
Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services (RMCHCS) recently honored Lisa Cope, RN, with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® (DAISY Award). DAISY Award recipients are registered nurses who exemplify nursing values of extraordinary compassion, courage and integrity in every situation.
Cope is director of Employee Health and Infection Control. Her role intensified with the pandemic when she began serving on RMCHCS’ Incident Command team, providing guidance and counseling regarding COVID testing and vaccines for employees and ensuring they have access to appropriate personal protective equipment and masks. Cope also oversees infection control within the hospital and stays current on emerging local, state and national policies, ensuring the hospital meets all requirements.
“No matter the situation and stresses of the job, Lisa maintains a gentle and compassionate spirit and goes the extra mile to help,” said RMCHCS Interim Chief Executive Officer Don Smithburg. “She has been an essential part of RMCHCS’ pandemic response and has been a constant source of encouragement to our entire team.”
Cope has served in various nursing roles, primarily in the Intensive Care Unit, since joining RMCHCS more than three decades ago. She began her career at RMCHCS in 1989 as a nursing assistant in the Medical Surgical unit. She later received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of New Mexico School of Nursing. Cope is almost a life-long Gallup resident; her family moved here when she was in second grade.
This is the third year RMCHCS has awarded the DAISY Award. Previous recipients include Kelly Manuelito, RN (2020), and Dylan Solomon, RN (2019). DAISY Award recognitions honor the superhuman work nurses do for patients and families every day wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve and throughout their careers—from nursing student through Lifetime Achievement in Nursing. Often DAISY Honorees respond to this recognition with, “But I didn’t do anything special. I was just doing my job.” Cope is no exception.
The DAISY Award is a national program established by the DAISY Foundation in memory of Patrick Barnes, who at the age of 33 passed away from ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura) an autoimmune disease. Patrick received such exemplary care while in the hospital that the family wanted to find a way to say thank you to nurses around the country, because they believed that nurses are truly “unsung heroes.”
Media Contact: iburmeister@rmchcs.org • 505-863-8880
- ONE GREAT COMPANY - YOUR ONLY LOCALLY OWNED BROADCAST SERVICE - RELY ON US FOR LOCAL NEWS, SPORTS, PERSONALITIES AND GREAT MUSIC
