Life-Saving Intervention Recognized with DAISY Award

Salinas, CA - Life-saving care at Salinas Valley Health often extends beyond clinical procedures. DAISY Award recipient Alejandra Garcia, RN, is being recognized for compassion, clinical judgment, and advocacy after intervening in a situation that, as one nominator wrote, “may not have saved just one life, but two.”

Garcia received three nominations following a routine pre-procedure phone call with a Spanish-speaking patient. By communicating in the patient’s preferred language, Garcia established trust that led him to disclose serious mental health concerns, including suicidal thoughts and eventually also relaying plans to harm his wife.

Sherri Arias, Cath Lab procedural nurse manager, wrote, “In many Spanish-speaking communities, mental health concerns like depression and suicidal thoughts are often stigmatized or go unspoken. However, because Garcia made him feel heard and safe, he opened up.”  Recognizing the urgency, Garcia persistently escalated the concern to the patient’s primary care provider, resulting in emergency psychiatric care and actions to protect the patient and his family. She remained engaged throughout the process, ensuring the patient was connected with appropriate care and resources.

At the award ceremony, Garcia said, “It was a difficult case, and I was so grateful he confided in me so we could get him the help he desperately needed.” Garcia has cared for cardiology patients at Salinas Valley Health for nearly 25 years. Reflecting on the recognition, she added, “We don’t do what we do for recognition. We do it for the gratification of helping people. I’m grateful to everyone who followed a process that supported our patient and his wife.”

In addition to Garcia, DAISY Award nominations were submitted for Melissa Aninzo, BSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse II, Observation Care Unit; Jasmin Ferrer, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Pediatrics; Arnulfo Garcia, RN, Staff Nurse II, Observation Care Unit; Stevie Hardin, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Med Surg; Candice Karrle, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Labor & Delivery; Shawn Loper, RN, Staff Nurse II, Med Surg; Jorge Morga, BSN, RN, CMSRN, Staff Nurse III, Pediatrics; Necole Olivo, RN, Staff Nurse II, Labor & Delivery; Maria Pia delos Santos, RN, Staff Nurse II, Pediatrics; Enrique Ramirez, BSN, RN, Staff Nurse II, Med Surg; and Jannica Sebastian, MSN, RN, PCCN, Staff Nurse III, Observation Care Unit.

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 patients, the community, and each other.

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843