Anticipating newborn’s needs, parents’ questions earn Gerber Memorial labor/delivery nurse a DAISY Award for exceptional care

June 13, 2022

FREMONT, Mich., June 10, 2022 – Anticipating a newborn’s needs is never easy.

But thanks to experience, compassion and a knack for thinking ahead, Macey Ross, RN, brought peace of mind for one family that had just welcomed a new baby into the world at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial. Thanks to her skill and ability to anticipate new parents’ questions and what their baby would need, Ross received a DAISY Award recognizing exceptional nursing care.

Ross’ skill came in when the new parents’ baby wasn’t eating. They had a ton of questions. They were concerned. And they didn’t know quite what to do.

“She came in and answered every question we had, explained how and why things were a certain way. She also got our baby to feed and showed us multiple ways to feed, burp and hold the baby before, during and after feeding,” the parents wrote in nominating Ross for the DAISY Award. “By the time she left the room, the baby was taken care of and all our worries, concerns and questions were resolved.”

Ross showed the parents how to change their baby’s diaper properly and change the gauze following the baby’s circumcision.

The parents gave Ross a 10 out of 10 score and wrote: “Will birth here again.”

A resident of Canadian Lakes, Ross worked at Gerber Memorial for seven years, with nearly five of those as a nurse at the labor and delivery department.

“I love being a labor and delivery nurse, I love being part of bringing new life into the world. It’s very rewarding,” said Ross, who has delivered so many babies that she’s lost count.

She encourages anyone who enjoys caring for people to consider a career in nursing.

“If you like working with people and helping them, being a nurse is truly the job for you,” she said.

The parents noted in their nomination form how Ross even let them use her favorite pen, a brand she says lasted throughout her entire education in nursing school at Ferris State University without quitting on her. Before becoming a nurse, Ross was a nurse tech at Gerber Memorial.

Ross said she was inspired to become a nurse after she cared for a sick family member, often when no nurses were in the room.

As a DAISY Award honoree, Ross received a certificate commending her for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate 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.” DAISY Award honorees also receive a beautiful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved from serpentine stone by artists of the Shona tribe in southern Africa.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families and colleagues, and they are chosen by a committee of nurses at Gerber Memorial to receive the award.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is part of the national DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

Nomination forms are available at nursing stations throughout the hospital and patients can submit those forms either by placing them in gray boxes near those forms or by handing them to a nurse or other hospital staff. Nominating forms will also be available at the hospital’s main lobby, as well as included in admission packets.

Nomination forms can also be found at any Spectrum Health facility or submitted online at: https://www.onlineregistrationcenter.com/GerberDAISY.

For more information about The DAISY Award and the Foundation’s other recognition of nurses, faculty and students, visit www.DAISYfoundation.org.

People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 60,000+ dedicated people—including more than 11,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 15,000 nurses providing care and services in 21 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.3 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness. For more information, visit corewellhealth.org.

Contact:
Azlan Ibrahim
Communications Manager
Office: 231.924.1264
Mobile: 616.227-1940
Email: azlan.ibrahim@spectrumhealth.org