EXTRAORDINARY NURSE RECOGNIZED AT SCOTLAND COUNTY HOSPITAL
Date May 8, 2025, Memphis, Missouri – Chrissie Burkhiser of Scotland County Hospital was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. Scotland County Hospital and Clinics implemented the DAISY Award® program earlier this year at their facilities.
The nomination submitted read, “My daughter had a food allergy test on Monday, October 23, 2023. She experienced no complications during the test and left the allergist’s office without issue. However, everything changed the next day at school. She came to my classroom with rapid breathing. Given her history of asthma, our first instinct was that she was having an asthma attack. We immediately started a breathing treatment and called the school nurse to assist. Almost immediately, her breathing worsened, and she began to stridor. When the treatment failed to help, we were sent to the ER, and the school called ahead to alert them of our arrival. At the ER, Nurse Chrissie Burkhiser met us at the door and helped me get Evan inside. By this point, Evan had lost the ability to walk and was struggling to move her arms. She was starting to pass out due to lack of oxygen. Chrissie rushed her into the ER in a wheelchair, and Dr. Dixon came into the room right away. I quickly explained her allergy history and the test from the day before. They took immediate action. Throughout it all, Chrissie stayed by Evan’s side, calmly speaking to her and working to keep both of us calm. Despite the urgency, she never faltered. She administered medications, epinephrine, nebulizer treatments, and full oxygen support with grace and confidence. Dr. Dixon remained in the room, closely monitoring every change in my daughter’s condition. Thanks to their swift and skilled care, including five adult EpiPens and continuous oxygen, my 11-year-old daughter’s breathing and heart rate were stabilized. Her prescribed junior EpiPens would not have been enough in this situation. Without question, their quick thinking and professionalism saved her life. I know other nurses came in and out to offer assistance, and in no way do I want to leave them out, but I don’t remember their names. Given the severity and delayed nature of the reaction, my daughter was admitted to the hospital for observation. The following evening, after eating dinner, I tried to lift her spirits by painting her nails. Tragically, she went into another severe reaction, again stridor and rapid decline. We pushed the emergency button, and the nurses, along with Dr. DeBlieck, rushed in. She received oxygen and two more adult EpiPens to stabilize her. Saying we were terrified would be an understatement. These reactions were not typical, and we realized she was facing something far more serious. Thanks to the efforts of the ER team, the hospital staff, and her primary care physician, we were referred to specialists in critical care, allergy, and pulmonology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. There, she was diagnosed with vocal cord dysfunction and FPIES (Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome), a rare condition causing delayed allergic reactions. Today, she carries four adult EpiPens and a strong rescue inhaler at all times. Although the diagnosis was frightening, it has changed her life, and ours, by giving us the tools to respond quickly and effectively. Even the hospital dietitian and her staff went above and beyond to ensure she was cared for and properly nourished. Their support was a blessing in every way. I am forever grateful to the nurses and doctors at Scotland County Hospital ER, Scotland County Hospital, and Memphis Medical. Their expertise, compassion, and quick action saved my daughter’s life, not once, but twice.”
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, CEO, and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Scotland County Hospital are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”
Said Chief Nursing Officer, Cassie Beard, “It is evident that Chrissie made an impact on this patient and her mother because this incident happened 2 years ago and this mother took the time to write this nomination recently. Chrissie is our first ever DAISY Award® winner. The circumstances for which this mother writes is proof that Chrissie exemplifies the reasons the DAISY Award® was created by Patrick’s family.”
For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, please go to http://DAISYfoundation.org
In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 4,600 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants their new Health Equity Grant program. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.
PHOTO: L-R Jerzi Burkhiser, Chrissie Burkhiser, Meagan Weber-SCH CEO, Brent Peirick-SCH COO, and Evan Cochran.