TUPELO, Mississippi—North Mississippi Medical Center presented its most recent DAISY Award to registered nurse Lauren Dodds of Outpatient Infusion.

Dodds was nominated by a coworker for the extraordinary care she provided a patient. “Lauren has been caring for a particular patient of ours for several weeks. During that time, she has built a strong rapport with this patient and has really connected with him during his treatment,” she wrote. “Not only has she provided him with phenomenal nursing care, but she also discovered that this patient has no family close by and that he was struggling to provide food for himself.”

Dodds connected the patient with her department’s social worker, as well as made sure he utilized the department’s food pantry each time he came for treatment. “Lauren learned that the patient had celebrated a birthday in between weeks of treatment, and she provided him with cupcakes and a card – with cash inside to make sure that the patient could go get a meal at his favorite place, Captain D’s,” her coworker wrote. “She funded this completely by herself. She did so because she cares so much for the well-being of her patients, and I am honored to work alongside of her.”

Dodds resides in Saltillo and joined the NMMC team in 2016. She worked five years in the hospital’s Emergency Department before transferring to Outpatient Infusion two years ago. A graduate of New Albany High School, she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2016 from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Dodds 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. Nomination forms are available throughout NMMC or at www.nmhs.net/daisy-award. For more information, call (662) 377-3431 or email daisyawards@nmhs.net.