DAISY Award for Exceptional Patient Commitment

October 16, 2025 - An emergency department nurse at Salinas Valley Health is being recognized with the prestigious DAISY Award for providing exceptional nursing care to a patient who came into the ED with a life-threatening injury to the main blood vessel in the heart and needed to be transported to our partner hospital in the Bay Area.

Lizette Rosales, BSN, RN, remembers the case well and said, “Our entire unit acted as a team. I love the all-hands-on-deck, we-have-each-others-back attitude in the ED.”

A longtime colleague agrees with that assessment of the ED mantra however felt Rosales’s actions deserved extra recognition and nominated Rosales for the DAISY Award, which was established by the DAISY Foundation, highlighting excellence in nursing.

Blanca Zavala, BSN, RN shared in her nomination how a patient in the ER had an aortic dissection, or serious injury to the main artery, and needed to be transferred to the highest level of care in the Bay Area for the patient’s best chance at survival. The fastest method of helicopter transport was not an option due to heavy winds. Zavala said, “Lizette not only reassured the patients’ teenage children but volunteered to be with the patient in the ambulance during the entire trip. To me, that is a hero, and she deserves the DAISY Award.”

Rosales humbly accepted the recognition and reiterated her appreciation for the culture of quality care and compassion at Salinas Valley Health. “At our core, we love what we do and are problem solvers,” Rosales said.   

In addition to the DAISY Award healing touch statue, certificate and other honoree gifts, Rosales will be publicly recognized in front of the Salinas Valley Health Board of Directors. 

Other outstanding DAISY Award nominees include Aida Alimi, RN, Telemetry; Tricia Avila, BSN, RN, Telemetry;  Kyreen Delossantos, BSN, RN, Diagnostic Imaging; Jasmin Ferrer, BSN, RN, Patient Care Resources; Silvia Fierro, BSN, RN, PCCN, Diagnostic Imaging; Ashley Folck, BSN, RN, OCN, Outpatient Infusion; Jessica Corres Hernandez, BSN, RN, Telemetry/4-T; Mayra Jara, RN, Oncology; Jezza May Lopez, RN, Ortho Neuro Spine; Christina Medina, BSN, RN, Observation Care Unit; Cecilia Pena, BSN, RN, Observation Care Unit; and Sherwin Tangonan, RN, Outpatient Infusion.

Each month, Salinas Valley Health recognizes an outstanding nurse with a DAISY Award (for nurses) and a STAR Award (for all staff). The DAISY Award is an international program that honors nurses for their extraordinary compassion, outstanding clinical skills, and personalized care, established by the DAISY Foundation. The STAR Award is a recognition program created by Salinas Valley Health, incorporating the organization’s core values of Support, Teamwork, Accountability, and Respect, to highlight staff serving our patients, community, and each other with extraordinary results. Nominations are submitted by patients, visitors, and staff. To learn more about the awards, visit SalinasValleyHealth.com/nomination.

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843