SPRINGFIELD – Sarai Aceves received the DAISY Award for Nursing Excellence at Memorial Medical Center. 
Known for her compassion and kindness, Aceves was nominated by a patient at Memorial Medical Center to receive the award, hospital officials said. In the nomination form, the patient wrote, “Sarai was amazing, attentive and patient when my husband needed her the most. She gave wonderful care and helped my husband get well and back home.”
Aceves is a registered nurse on the cardiovascular unit at Memorial Medical Center. She graduated from Lincoln Land Community College in 2017 and has worked at Memorial Medical Center for about five years. She earned national certification as a cardiovascular nurse in 2019.
Aceves was recognized in front of her co-workers and hospital leaders. She received a certificate and a hand-carved sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch.”
The nonprofit DAISY Foundation was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes, who died in 1999 from complications from an autoimmune disease. The care Barnes and his family received from nurses during his illness inspired this way of thanking nurses for making a difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.
Any nurse at Memorial Medical Center may be nominated for the award. Nomination forms are available throughout the hospital or online at DaisyFoundation.org.