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Robbie Tucker, of Chase City, was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses at VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital (VCU Health CMH). The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

Tucker has worked at VCU Health CMH for 15 years at The Hundley Center, the long-term care facility.

A family member of one of her residents submitted the nomination. When the time came for the resident to pass from this life, Tucker made sure he was comfortable and kept the lines of communication open so the family member would stay informed. She even let the family member know when she would be off for a few days to make sure the resident had someone to visit him. These actions earned her the DAISY Award® for the last quarter of 2021.

“She was always available and able to meet my father’s needs,” the family member said. “I could feel that she really cared, and that made me comfortable when leaving him.”

“I was shocked and in disbelief when I found out I won,” Tucker explained. “I was just doing my job.”

Tucker treats all residents equally with compassion and empathy. She loves hearing their stories and keeps the family members involved in their care.

“If my parents were alive and in a nursing home, I would want them to be treated with the same care,” Tucker said. “Our residents are here for a reason, and we have to realize they are not feeling their best. We have to put our personal feelings aside and adjust to their needs.”

Nursing Director Linda Norman said, “Robbie does an excellent job taking care of her residents. She’s been a loved team member at The Hundley Center for many years.”

When Tucker is not working, she loves spending time with family. She has an aunt who is a nurse at a nursing home in Clarksville, an uncle who encouraged her to go back to school to get her nursing degree, and two sons. One is a former marine and lives in Missouri and the other works with her at The Hundley Center in environmental services. She also enjoys exercising and walking.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, California, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes 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. 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.

CEO and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, said, “When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night. Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human work they do. The kind of work the nurses at VCU Health CMH are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”