Longtime Eaton Rapids Medical Center (ERMC) nurses Carol Hamilton, RN and Linda Reid, RN, BSN received DAISY Lifetime Achievement Awards this month. The honorees were announced in a virtual ceremony recognizing their extraordinary careers in nursing; both recipients were also gifted handmade sculptures entitled “A Healer’s Touch” in recognition of the many lives they have affected.
Reid, who is now “semi-retired” but continues to work with ERMC leadership to guide and shape patient care, served the Eaton Rapids community as a registered nurse for more than 41 years treating more than 63,000 patients in that time.
Throughout her tenure at ERMC Reid worked primarily within the surgical services department in addition to holding various leadership roles. She has been described by her colleagues as “the mom of the nursing leadership group.”
“It’s hard to put into words how much Linda’s support, guidance, and genuine care has affected our team, her patients, and this hospital as a whole. She is truly a remarkable person and a phenomenal nurse,” said Brad Simons, CNO of ERMC.
Hamilton began her nursing career in 1985 and treated over 57,000 patients before retiring this year. She worked in several departments and specialties before finishing her career in surgical services.
“There are so many wonderful things I could say about Carol,” Amy Maas, manager of surgical services, said. “She took absolutely incredible care of our patients; she was their confidant and their counselor in addition to being their nurse. She wanted to be by their side from pre-op to post-op and beyond. Carol is one of those truly kind, empathetic, and incredibly dedicated people anyone would be lucky to know.”
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was created by the DAISY Foundation to honor nurses who go above and beyond to make a difference in patients’ and families’ experiences in healthcare. ERMC joins facilities all over the world in participating in this recognition program to celebrate nurses and the skilled, compassionate, dedicated care they deliver every day.
To learn more about the DAISY Award and the DAISY Foundation, visit https://daisyfoundation.org/daisy-award. To learn more about Eaton Rapids Medical Center and the services they provide please visit https://www.eatonrapidsmedicalcenter.org/.