Presenting Corie Kilcrease (middle) of Women’s Hospital with NMMC’s most recent DAISY Award are (from left) Melissa Coker, Mother-Baby Unit nurse manager; Ellen Friloux, vice president of Women and Children’s Services; Jennifer Caldwell, director of nursing at Women’s Hospital; and David Wilson, president.

TUPELO, Miss.—North Mississippi Medical Center has awarded its most recent DAISY Award to registered nurse Corie Kilcrease of Women’s Hospital.

Kilcrease was nominated by a new mother who had breastfeeding issues. “She was very kind and knowledgeable about caring for a newborn, especially breastfeeding,” the mother wrote. When her pediatrician recommended she supplement formula because her baby had lost weight, she felt responsible, devastated and ashamed.

“I am so thankful for the time the lactation nurse and Corie took to reassure me that everything with my milk production and baby’s development was fine,” she wrote. “Corie also made sure she gave us everything we needed to care for baby and myself going home. We left the hospital with confidence and every question answered. Now, just a few weeks later, I have a freezer full of extra breastmilk!”

A resident of the Cairo community in Prentiss County, Kilcrease graduated from New Site High School in 2007. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s program in 2011 when it was offered in Oxford. She joined NMMC’s Emergency Department staff in 2018 and transferred to the Mother-Baby Unit at Women’s Hospital in 2019.

Kilcrease received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin, a bouquet donated by Bishop’s Flower Shop and a hand-carved stone sculpture titled A Healer’s Touch.

The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary compassionate and skillful care given by nurses every day. For more information, call (662) 377-3431 or email daisyawards@nmhs.net.