Elizabethtown, NY – The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital is pleased to announce Naomi Tuthill, LPN, as its first recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Tuthill was nominated by two patients for her skill and kindness.

“It’s an honor to partner with the DAISY Foundation to celebrate the difference that nurses make in the lives of the patients and families they care for every day,” said Julie Tromblee, vice president and chief nursing officer at Elizabethtown Community Hospital. “Naomi always puts patients first and is truly deserving of this recognition. We’re lucky to have her on our team and are proud to present her ECH’s first DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses”

Tuthill works with patients at the hospital’s Crown Point Health Center taking vitals, administering vaccines, and working alongside providers to care for patients’ needs. Her nominations included recognition of her positive attitude and attention to patients’ concerns. One patient wrote, “she is always pleasant and has a smile on her face for patients. I’ve never had to remind her of my conditions. Over my years I have seen many nurses. Many were good, but none better than Naomi.”

“Everyone who works at Elizabethtown Community Hospital has gone over and above, especially over the past two years,” said Tromblee as she presented Tuthill the award, a DAISY pin, and a hand-carved The Healer’s Touch sculpture during a surprise ceremony. Tromblee acknowledged the added challenges brought on by the pandemic and thanked Tuthill for her commitment and perseverance.

“I love what I do and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” said Tuthill, who lives in Ticonderoga, New York and has been with ECH for six years. “I have the privilege of caring for my neighbors and the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.”

ECH launched the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in the spring of 2021 as a way to recognize and reward licensed nurses for making a meaningful difference in the lives of their patients.

Nomination forms and boxes are located at each of the hospital’s main entrances and online at ech.org. Patients, families, and colleagues can nominate a nurse. A committee reviews nominations and awards the honor to a deserving nurse.

The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care provided to patients and families every day. The DAISY Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. 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 (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System). 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. More information is available at DAISYfoundation.org.       

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About Elizabethtown Community Hospital

The University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital is a designated critical access hospital and the primary health care provider serving residents in Essex County and northern Warren and Washington Counties in New York.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is transforming rural health care at its main campus in Elizabethtown, NY, at a new emergency department and outpatient center in Ticonderoga, NY, and at six community-based primary health care centers located throughout the region. The hospital is one of the community’s largest employers with 350 employees.

Across the Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga campuses, the hospital maintains two 24-hour emergency rooms, a 25-bed inpatient unit, physical therapy, laboratory, and digital radiology departments; and a variety of specialty physician clinics on a weekly and monthly basis.  

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and is licensed and certified by the New York State Department of Health and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

About The University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is an academic health system that is comprised of six affiliate hospitals, a multi-specialty medical group, and a home health agency. We serve the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives.  Our partners include:

• The University of Vermont Medical Center  
• The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health and Hospice

Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to the University of Vermont, each of our hospitals remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.