DAISY Award Recipient Exemplifies Skill, Compassion and a Consistently Great Attitude

September 23, 2025 - The recognition of our latest DAISY Award winner drew a large crowd, lots of smiles and warm words of appreciation for the honoree! Heather Barigian, BSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse II, Telemetry Towers, has been nominated for the DAISY Award three times in the past - a testament to her skill and compassion. The DAISY Award honors nurses who have demonstrated exemplary clinical practice and exceeded expectations in providing compassionate, patient-centered care. Heather has served as a nurse for telemetry patients on the 5th Tower since beginning her career as a new grad with Salinas Valley Health in 2015.

The son of a patient Heather has cared for multiple times on the stroke unit nominated her, expressing deep gratitude for the exceptional care she has provided his father. He said, "My dad has been in the stroke unit on three different occasions, and each time Heather has gone above and beyond to care for him. On his most recent time in the unit, Heather was not even assigned to his room, but she would still come and check on him. My dad tends to be difficult to please at times, and Heather is always really calm with him and even prepares his sweet tea the way he likes it. Heather tends to wear many hats in the unit, but she always has a great attitude." Congratulations to Heather!

Eighteen other nurses were also nominated for DAISY Award recognition! Melissa Aninzo, BSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse II, Observation Care Unit; Jeanna Beckham, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Labor & Delivery; Patricia Bracisco, RN, Staff Nurse II, Emergency Department; Nicole Chahwan, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, Staff Nurse II, Labor & Delivery; Candice Karrle, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Labor & Delivery; Hannah Leff, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Observation Care Unit; Sylvia Miguel, RN, Staff Nurse II, Telemetry Towers; Melanie Morales, BSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse III, Patient Care Resources; Andrew Olivas, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Emergency Department; Cecilia Pena, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Observation Care Unit; Lynette (Estee) Perez, BSN, RN, CLC, Staff Nurse III, Mother/Baby; Oshiel Martinez Ruiz, MSN, RN, CMSRN, Clinical Nurse Educator, Education; Denyse Sanchez, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Mother/Baby; Jannica Sebastian, MSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse III, Observation Care Unit; Martha Sifuentes, BSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse II, Telemetry Towers; Jessica Javier Sumano, BSN, RNC-OB, Staff Nurse II, Labor & Delivery; Claudia Tavares, BSN, RN, PCCN, Case Manager, Case Management; and Lori Woodfin, CCRN, CFRN, CVRN, Staff Nurse II, Radiology RNs.

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