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Members of UVA Family Medicine were recently recognized with the DAISY Team Award for their work providing enhanced services to our diabetic patients. A teammate nominated the following team members for their support and collaboration:

• Mary Rose Wade, RN, Assistant Nurse Manager
• Tausha Grim, RN, Assistant Nurse Manager
• Robert Baker, RN, Nurse Manager

Read an excerpt from the nomination below.

“I would like to nominate Mary Rose Wade, Tausha M. Grim, and Robert Baker. They create a culture of trust, respect, accountability, stewardship, professionalism, integrity, excellence, and engagement in their everyday communication with our team. They provide incredible patient care behind the scenes by identifying patients’ needs and working diligently to meet those needs. It is inspiring to work with a team so dedicated to improving the health of our patients.

“In the span of two years, they worked to create a diabetes education program that will support patients at the primary care physician offices. [View the program proposal here.]

“Two years ago, I was encouraged by Mary Wade at Pantops to become a nationally certified diabetes educator to be able to meet patients’ needs for diabetes education at the Pantops UVA Family Medicine clinic. Most of our patients did not have diabetes education and were not able to go to the diabetes education clinic for various reasons. With Mary’s support, I completed the certification in 2017. She even dedicated time to quiz me before the final exam.

“Mary then communicated to the Epic team to create the appropriate Epic referral, providers can communicate the need for diabetes education for their patients. She also communicated to Pantops physicians to encourage referrals for diabetes education.

“Mary created a work schedule that allowed me to support patients with diabetes three times per week. At times, Mary had to step away from administrative work to allow me to complete diabetes education.”

“Mary, Robert Baker, Tausha Grim, and Dr. Tinsley Rucker from Stoney Creek Family Medicine collaborated to host a series of group diabetes education classes for 18 patients.

“Positive results from the diabetes education class at Stoney Creek included the following: one patient discontinued insulin (now needing only oral medication), some patients lost weight, and others implemented healthy life style changes, like mindful eating, portion control, and exercising. Patients provided positive feedback in program evaluations, saying they felt supported, cared for, and that they have an enhanced understating of the disease process and how they can better care for themselves.”

Nomination edited for brevity and clarity.

Know a fabulous nurse?
The Professional Nursing Staff Organization honors up to two UVA RNs each month with a DAISY Award. Nominations may be submitted by patients, patient families, visitors, and fellow UVA team members. Learn more at uvadaisy.com.