Daisy Award for Patient Care and Leadership

SALINAS, CA - A Salinas Valley Health nurse, Perla Gaxiola Quinteros, BSN, RN, PCCA, is fond of saying “I love what I do and I do it with love.” The passion and dedication to her practice has resulted in Gaxiola Quinteros receiving the prestigious Daisy Award for nursing excellence. The nomination detailed numerous occasions in which Gaxiola Quinteros not only exemplified excellence delivering patient care but also demonstrated nursing leadership skills which support her colleagues. 

Fellow nurse, Stacy Espinosa, RN provided many specific examples of care and patient impact by Gaxiola Quinteros including life-saving codes and providing grieving families genuine comfort. The submission was summed up by concluding, “Perla does not simply practice nursing – she embodies its very soul.”

Gaxiola Quinteros joined Salinas Valley Health in 2017 and has been caring for Telemetry/1-Main patients for nearly nine years. This is her third nomination and first Daisy Award. The nomination read in part:  

“This recognition is long overdue. I am continually in awe of Perla — not only as a colleague and charge nurse, but as a human being. She embodies what nursing is meant to be: strength, competence, composure, and deep compassion. What finally moved me to sit down and write this nomination was hearing her, as charge nurse, gently ask her team, “How are we doing? Do you all need anything? A hug maybe?” In a unit that is fast-paced, emotionally heavy, and often overwhelming, those words mattered more than she likely realized. In that moment, she wasn’t just leading — she was caring for her caregivers. That is who Perla is.”

Gaxiola Quinteros says she is humbled and grateful for the recognition reflecting, “It means a lot to know that what I do on a daily basis makes a difference in the lives of my patients and co-workers. I am really happy to receive this award.”

Other outstanding Daisy Award nominees this period are Joshua Alfaro, RN, Staff Nurse I, Emergency Department; Eva Baron, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Telemetry/5-T; Lesly Cruz Barrios, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Labor & Delivery; Liliana Alcaraz Cazares, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Telemetry/4-T; Sierra Drucker, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Telemetry/4-T; Heather Gagnon, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Ortho Neuro Spine; Adriana Garcia, RN, Staff Nurse II, Observation Care Unit; Katlynn Hayden, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Mother/Baby; Maria Elena Hermosillo, BSN, RN, OCN, Staff Nurse II, Outpatient Infusion; Katharine Jimenez, BSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse III, Telemetry/1-Main; Jin Kim, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, NICU; Steven Lisowski, MSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Telemetry/1-Main; David Martin, BSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse II, Emergency Department; Lauren Miller, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse III, ICU/CCU; Jorge Morga, BSN, RN, CMSRN, Staff Nurse III, Pediatrics; Raquel Ramos, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Telemetry/5-T; Sheryll Randazzo, BSN, RN-BC, Staff Nurse III, Telemetry/4-T; Gabriela Serrano, BSN, RN, CCRN, Staff Nurse II, Surgery; and Tristan Ybarra, RN, Staff Nurse II, Heart Center.

The DAISY Award is an international program that recognizes nurses for extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care. Salinas Valley Health also created a monthly STAR Award program, which recognizes all employees who demonstrate the organization’s core values of Support, Teamwork, Accountability and Respect.

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843