Kindness, Dedication Earn Daphne Williams a DAISY Award
ROME, Ga., Feb. 28, 2025 – Daphne Williams, LPN, has a special rapport with patients because she really cares.
Williams came to Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center in 1991 as a home health tech, transferred to different areas and eventually became a licensed practical nurse. Today, she brings her smile to make Infusion Therapy patients comfortable.
When asked what motivates her to come to work each day, her answer is simple yet profound: “To make my patients happy. I love to see a smile on their faces. I want them to feel when they leave like they have been well taken care of.”
Because of her dedication and compassion, Williams has earned a DAISY Award, which recognizes nurses for their bedside care.
The family of Patrick Barnes established the DAISY Foundation after Barnes died from an auto-immune disease while being treated in a Seattle hospital.
Sheila Bennett, senior vice president and chief of patient services at Atrium Health Floyd, presented Williams with a DAISY pin, and a sculpture entitled “A Healer’s Touch.” Members of the Shona ethnic group in Zimbabwe hand-carve the sculptures.
The nurse and her teammates were also treated with cinnamon buns, a DAISY tradition because it was one of the few things Barnes could eat while he was hospitalized.
“I am so happy for you,” Bennett said to Williams. “I have known you since I walked through the doors of this organization 17 years ago. We are blessed to have you. You are in the right place, and I think God puts us in the place we are supposed to be.”
Williams was nominated for the award by teammate Lisa Wheeler, RN, who wrote: “When this nurse walks through in the mornings, her ‘Hello, everyone’ precedes her. You never know what adventures working with her will get you into. If you know, you know. She is one of a kind and she is always making sure our patients are comfortable and feel at home when they come through our door until they leave to go home.”
If you know an Atrium Health Floyd nurse who provided exceptional care of you or a loved one, you can nominate them for a DAISY award by completing this online form.
