LVMC Case Management Nurse Recognized for Extraordinary Care

LVMC Registered Nurse Danielle Anzaldo was named a recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, in part for her “unwavering commitment and exceptional display of empathy.”

The prestigious international award is part of The DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care provided to patients and families every day.

In the case that led to her nomination, Danielle was said to have gone “above and beyond” to help an Emergency Department patient facing a critical and time-sensitive situation.

The patient, who was in need of a heart transplant, had been accepted into the USC Keck transplant center, but it was discovered the patient lacked the necessary insurance coverage for the medical transfer.

“Understanding the urgency of the situation and the potential consequences of delayed action, Danielle invested several days and countless hours to facilitate the acquisition of insurance for the patient,” the nomination noted.

The nomination called it a “pivotal role” in making sure the patient was covered for the transfer to the heart transplant facility.

“Without Danielle’s intervention, the patient would have faced the harrowing prospect of remaining in the Emergency Department, with heart function steadily declining, while awaiting insurance.”

Danielle was surprised during her shift Monday with the award and was celebrated by members of the Lompoc Valley Medical Center leadership team, her coworkers, and the Daisy Nomination Committee, which includes a wide range of clinical and non-clinical staff.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” Danielle said. “I have wanted to be a nurse since I was a child and I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love helping others.”

Danielle has been an employee of LVMC for almost 17 years. She began her career with the healthcare district as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Comprehensive Care Center in 2007 and eventually became a Licensed Vocational Nurse, or LVN. She earned a certificate in Registered Nursing from Santa Barbara City College and became an Emergency Room Nurse in late 2019. Danielle was named manager of the Case Management department in 2022.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family and honors nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. Patrick Barnes died in 1999 at the age of 33 from complications caused by ITP, or Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, an auto-immune disease. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The foundation was inspired by the care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill. LVMC nominations are reviewed by an internal committee of representatives from nursing, non-nursing, and non-clinical departments.

In addition to a certificate, Danielle received a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

More information about the award is available at daisyfoundation.org. To nominate a nurse at LVMC, Lompoc Health or the Comprehensive Care Center, see the nomination form at lompocvmc.com, under the Resources tab and Patient Feedback link.