July 17, 2026, MORRIS, IL – Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers has recognized Emergency Department Nurse Jessica Allen as the second DAISY Award recipient of 2026.
The DAISY Award is an internationally recognized honor that celebrates nurses for the exceptional, compassionate care they provide to patients. The award was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who was profoundly moved by the care and compassion shown to their entire family while their son was in the hospital. Out of gratitude, they created the DAISY Award as a lasting tribute to Patrick’s legacy of positivity and as a way to honor nurses everywhere.
In nominating Allen for the DAISY Award, a patient’s mother wrote: “What stood out most was how Jess seemed to lead the room with quiet confidence. Her quick response and coordination with the rest of the Emergency Department team ensured my son received prompt care when every minute felt critical,” the nominator wrote. “Jess’s compassion, clinical judgment, leadership, and advocacy that night embody exactly what the DAISY Award is meant to recognize,” the nominator continued. “She provided extraordinary nursing care not only through her clinical skill and quick action, but also through the reassurance, patience, and humanity she showed our family during one of the most frightening moments of our lives. Morris Hospital is incredibly fortunate to have someone like Jess caring for patients in the middle of the night while the rest of us are home asleep.”
The next DAISY Award winner at Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers will be announced during the third quarter of 2026. Nominations are accepted from patients, family members, staff, and physicians who have experienced or witnessed a nurse providing extraordinary, compassionate care.
To nominate a nurse for the DAISY Award, paper nomination forms are available at the DAISY boxes located throughout the hospital main campus and healthcare centers, or via the electronic form available by clicking here.
Serving patients from 27 locations, Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers includes the 89-bed Morris Hospital, as well as physician offices in Braidwood, Channahon, Diamond-Coal City, Dwight, Gardner, Marseilles, Minooka, Morris, Newark, Ottawa, and Seneca. Through the services of over 1,900 healthcare professionals, physicians and volunteers, Morris Hospital provides lifesaving cardiac intervention in its state-of-the-art cath lab, a radiation therapy center for cancer patients, Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery for orthopedics, a state-of-the-art intensive care unit, and integrated behavioral health in the primary care setting. Morris Hospital is a Level II perinatal care provider and primary stroke center. The hospital is known for its compassionate and personalized approach to healthcare.
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