Forrest Health Names DAISY Award Winners for January
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – (February 4, 2025) This month, Forrest Health is naming an individual DAISY Award winner for January, as well as a DAISY Team Award. Recognized as the individual winner is Abigail Cleveland, RN, Labor & Delivery. The team award goes to the Emergency Department team of Jacob Kilpatrick, RN, PCC, Logan Holmes, RN, PCC, and Selena Morgan, RN, Project Analyst. The DAISY Award is presented monthly to a deserving nurse or nurses and exemplifies clinical expertise and compassionate care. The designees are recognized as role models in the nursing community.
Abigail was nominated by a former L&D patient, who was pregnant with her first child. At 19 weeks, she and her husband were informed their baby did not have a heartbeat. The patient labored and delivered the baby who they knew would not be born alive.
“Abby was my daytime nurse for two days,” wrote the patient, “two of the worst days of my entire life. I don’t know that I have enough words to describe what she meant to me. My husband and I spent time crying with her, admiring our girl, knowing we couldn’t leave the hospital with her. Abby sat with us as we talked about our future plans as a couple, as well as hers. Abby made me smile and laugh so much during those miserable days and made sure I knew how much she cared for us. When we found out we were pregnant with our rainbow baby, I knew Abby had to be one of the first people to know. I will never forget her or what she did for me.”
Abby, who received her degree from Pearl River Community College has been employed at Forrest General for two years. The Oak Grove resident said she chose the healthcare field because she has always enjoyed taking care of people. “But I feel that’s what everybody always says,” she said. “I picked nursing when my grandfather was diagnosed with leukemia. He was at Asbury Hospice House and the way they took care of him influenced my decision to become a nurse.” She said working in Labor & Delivery has been a “dream come true,” although at times it can be difficult.
The ER team of Kilpatrick, Holmes, and Morgan had a patient in the Emergency Department who was at the end of his life. He had no family and the patient asked if it would be possible for him to be baptized by full immersion before he died. The team reached out to the Rehab Department and asked about borrowing the unit’s large bathtub to make this happen. These nurses worked together to make all of the arrangements to honor this patient’s final wish. They arranged for a pastor to come and perform the baptism, prepared the tub, transported the patient by stretcher and arranged for extra staff to be present to ensure the patient’s last wish was honored and completed safely.
The extraordinary measures these nurses took to safely and respectfully honor this patient’s final wish are truly inspiring and proved to be very emotional for everyone involved. These nurses radiate the DAISY Award’s mission statement, “…making a profound difference in the lives of people…” Jacob Kilpatrick, Logan Holmes, and Selena Morgan are truly EXTRAORDINARY!
“We are so proud of all of these Forrest General nurses – Abigail, Jacob, Logan, and Selena,” said Kim Reddish, RN, MSN, CENP, CCRN (alum), Forrest General Hospital Chief Nursing Officer/vice president. “They are a wonderful representation of how the DAISY award was envisioned by the founders of the organization. Forrest General is proud to have such extraordinary nurses integrated into the team.”
To nominate a nurse for a DAISY Award, visit forresthealth.org/daisyaward.
ABOUT FORREST HEALTH
Forrest Health is a system of healthcare organizations formed to increase access to quality health care in south Mississippi. Forrest General Hospital is its flagship hospital. In addition to Forrest General, Forrest Health hospitals include: Highland Community Hospital, Picayune; Jefferson Davis Community Hospital & Extended Care Facility, Prentiss; Marion General Hospital, Columbia; Pearl River County Hospital & Nursing Home, Poplarville; Perry County General Hospital, Richton; and Walthall General Hospital, Tylertown. Forrest Health is also home to The Orthopedic Institute and Institute of Neuroscience, both in Hattiesburg, as well as a variety of healthcare clinics throughout its 19-county coverage area.
