Tyler, Texas (June 14, 2021) — Estefania “Stef” Olivares, RN, with UT Health Tyler, recently was selected as a DAISY Award winner.
“I am pleased to recognize Stef as a DAISY Award recipient,” UT Health Tyler Chief Nursing Officer Christy Escandon said. “She is an extraordinary nurse who works tirelessly while maintaining a cheerful, kind attitude. She is very deserving of this recognition.”
Nurses may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues, and the award recipient is chosen by a committee at UT Health East Texas. Olivares received a formal nomination from one of her patients for going above and beyond in providing his care.
“[Olivares] always found a way to do something needed instead of giving up,” the patient said. “She helped me tremendously.”
As a winner of the DAISY Award, Olivares received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients and visitors.
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died in 1999 at age 33 from complications of an autoimmune disease (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Barnes 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. Today, this program has been implemented in more than 1,900 healthcare facilities, including UT Health East Texas.