DAISY Award winners Brix Carstens (left) and Jordan Kral (right), with nominator Becky Freeman (middle)
The Greene County Medical Center recognized National Nurses Week with an annual celebration.
On Thursday, the DAISY Award was presented to two individual nurses, who exemplified what the award is about which is showing extraordinary care to a patient. There were 15 nominees that came from other colleagues, patients and their families, or from the community. This year there were two winners: Jordan Kral and Brix Carstens. Kral is a nurse in the emergency room and has been the House Supervisor for 1.5 years. She talked about why she chose nursing as her career.
“The biggest reason that I did was just to care for patients during their most vulnerable period of their life, whether it’s just a sick day or whether it’s a lifelong issue.”
Carstens has been a registered nurse for one year at Greene County Medical Center, working in the emergency room and acute departments. The nominator thanked both Kral and Carstens for coordinating a party to celebrate their family members last birthday, going so far as to getting the patient a popsicle because he could not have cake. Carstens reflected on that moment as it was being described at the ceremony.
“Over the last one of me being a nurse, I feel like I’ve been able to build a really great bond with the family. That’s one of the great things about working in a rural, local, small hospital is that you’re able to build bonds with your patients over a period of time, and not just one visit, you see them multiple times. And I think it’s really great to be able to build those connections and those relationships.”
Additionally, Shelby Ackerman was the 2025 recipient of the Partner in Nursing Award. She has been in the surgery department for three years, and prior to that she was with the emergency room and acute department for 12 years. Ackerman is a central supply technician. She added that she got into the medical field as a career to help and take care of others. The full list of nominees for both awards can be found below.
DAISY Award Nominees:
Barb Broich
Lauren Carlson
Brix Carstens
Noelle Clouse
Kelli Farley
Gina Geisler
Deb Hoskins
Janey McCabe
Teresa Morlan
Dan Scheuermann
Sydney Schiltz
Heather Shipley
Abby Skoglund
Amanda Waltz
Partner in Nursing Award Nominees:
Tammy Andre
Johnny Nelson
Amber Reed
Deana Shriver
Derek Wilson