Jenna Severance, RN, who has been at our Capitol Hill health center since joining Providence Community Health Centers in 2019, is the latest winner of the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Jenna was recognized at a surprise ceremony on January 25th. The Daisy Award is a national program started by a family that wanted to recognize the great nursing care their loved one received. Jenna started at PCHC in Family Medicine and transitioned to Pediatrics -- what she calls her “real love and passion” -- in October 2020.

“My favorite part of nursing at PCHC is the connections I make with patients and their parents and families,” said Jenna. “I especially love working in pediatrics because I get to watch my patients grow and go through milestones. It’s really rewarding working with such a diverse community. I also feel very lucky to have an amazing group of co-workers around me. They have become a part of my family and are what get me through some of the harder days.” 

DAISY Award recipients are registered nurses who exemplify the following nursing values: extraordinary compassion, courage, and integrity. These individuals consistently demonstrate excellence in the delivery of patient care and promotion of their professional nursing practice. As the winner, Jenna received a beautifully handcrafted statue called “The Healer’s Touch” which symbolizes the relationship between nurses, patients, and families, a framed certificate, and a check.

Dr. Beth Toolan, physician site lead at Capitol Hill and Chairperson of the Department of Pediatrics, praised Jenna’s patience, kindness, and skills as nurse. “No matter how many patients are waiting for her for vaccines, on the phone, and in the waiting room, she routinely talks to them kindly and patiently,” said Dr. Toolan. “I have never seen her be short with a patient, despite working alone in two clinics for the past month and a half. She engages with pediatric patients in a way that makes them comfortable and alleviates their fears.”

Jenna is pictured here in the center with (from left to right) Dr. Beth Toolan, President & CEO Merrill Thomas, Capitol Hill health center director Patricia Terceira, and Dr. Nadine Hewamudalige, Medical Director.