THE DAISY FOUNDATION AND UNITEDHEALTHCARE CELEBRATE LMC'S 30TH DAISY AWARD WINNER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE DAISY FOUNDATION AND UNITEDHEALTHCARE CELEBRATE LUTHERAN MEDICAL CENTER'S 30TH DAISY AWARD WINNER
Nelly Silverio, R.N., recognized for extraordinary patient care

September 25, 2012, Brooklyn, NY… Nereida "Nelly" Silverio, R.N., was honored with the DAISY Award for her outstanding patient care at a special ceremony today at Lutheran Medical Center. The LMC team, which included more than 60 executives, nursing staff and previous DAISY Award winners, was accompanied by DAISY Foundation co-founder Tena Barnes-Carraher and UnitedHealthcare executive, Paul Marden. Tena Barnes-Carraher not only presented this month's DAISY Award, but also spoke of the founding of the organization and her everlasting appreciation of the compassionate work done by nurses.

Nelly has been with Lutheran for over 13 years and previously served as a patient service associate. After receiving the Bilingual Nurses for Brooklyn Educational Award in 2010/2011, she received her bachelor's degree in nursing from Molloy College in 2011. She resides in Sunset Park and is fluent in Spanish.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System) was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes died in 1999 at the age of 33 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a little-known but not uncommon autoimmune disease. The care Barnes and his family received inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patients' families.

"When Patrick was ill, we were awed by the skill, care and compassion he – and we, his family – received," said Bonnie Barnes, president and co-founder of The DAISY Foundation. "We created The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in 2001 to say thank you to nurses around the country, as we believe they are truly 'unsung heroes.' We thank UnitedHealthcare for helping us acknowledge the remarkable work nurses do every day."

Each month, nurses in more than 1,260 participating hospitals across the United States are nominated by their colleagues and patients to receive The DAISY Award. The honorees receive a certificate commending outstanding clinical care and a designation of being an "Extraordinary Nurse." The certificate reads: "In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people." The honorees are also given a sculpture called A Healer's Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.

"Having been founded by a deaconess nurse 1883, we are proud of our rich nursing history and feel that relationships, centered and focused on the patient and their family, are critical to health and healing," says Rosanne Raso, R.N., SVP and Chief Nursing Officer at Lutheran Medical Center. "And of course a compassionate nurse drives that relationship. We can't thank the DAISY Foundation enough for recognizing and inspiring nurses everywhere and UnitedHealthcare for their support."

Lutheran Medical Center joins 103 other medical centers around the country where The DAISY Award is sponsored by UnitedHealthcare. UnitedHealthcare's support brings total grant contributions to more than $161,000 since 2006.

"At UnitedHealthcare, our mission is to help people live healthier lives," said Golden. "To help accomplish that goal, we employ more than 10,000 nurses who help improve the way health care works for people. We congratulate Lutheran Medical Center nurses and today's DAISY Award winner for helping people stay well, get well or live with illness."

Paul Marden, vice president, United Healthcare; Rosanne Raso, R.N., SVP and Chief Nursing Officer, LMC; Claudia Caine, EVP, Hospital Director,Chief Operating Officer, LMC; Tena Barnes-Carraher, co-founder, The DAISY Foundation; Nelly Silverio, R.N.	Tena Barnes-Carraher, co-founder of The DAISY Foundation presents honoree, Nelly Silverio, R.N., with a Healer's Touch sculpture as part of her award.

About The DAISY Foundation
The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, Calif., and was established in 2000 by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. The DAISY Foundation supports the nursing profession with recognition programs for bedside nurses and nursing faculty and with grants for research and evidence-based practice projects conducted by nurses. As of December 2011, more than 20,000 nurses at over 1,260 hospitals have been recognized with The DAISY Award For Extraordinary Nurses. More information is available at www.DAISYfoundation.org.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

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