Heroic Filipina Honored in Hit-and-Run Case
December 29, 2006
This past August after a SUV hit-and-run spree left one dead and 18 injured, Filipina nurse Grace Lopez demonstrated remarkable leadership in the emergency department of San Francisco General Hospital.
“As the event unfolded Grace directed multiple teams of nurses, paramedics and trauma physicians in a coordinated, calm and very focused manner,” said Bob Sypher, S.F. General Hospital Emergency Department nursing director.
For her amazing work, Lopez received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in front of her peers at the hospital’s Emergency Department entrance earlier this month.
“[This] award is a tribute to all my peers for the hard work they do each and every day,” said Lopez. “It gives extra meaning to be a nurse at one of the best trauma centers on the West Coast and serve as the city’s emergency response system.”
Lopez trained at University of the Philippines and came to the U.S. in 1981. She has been an ER trauma nurse for 25 years at General Hospital.
“Grace and her colleagues’ compassion and skill in the face of a traumatizing emergency that shook the foundations of this entire city was a demonstration of courage and dedication — for quality health care, for our community and for humanity,” said David Hanson, UnitedHealthcare California CEO.
The DAISY Award was created in 2001, in appreciation for nurses around the country who are believed to be “unsung heroes.”
Each month, nurses are selected by their nursing administration to receive the award. The honorees receive a certificate that reads, “in deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.”
The award ceremony was made possible by UnitedHealthcare and The DAISY Foundation.
“We thank UnitedHealthcare for helping us acknowledge the remarkable, superhuman work nurses, like Grace Lopez, do every day,” said Bonnie Barnes, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation.
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