Ohio’s Hospice Celebrates Third Quarter of 2025 Bouquet of Recognition Honorees
Ohio’s Hospice staff members are dedicated to providing superior care and superior service to each patient and family.
Many times they go above and beyond, and those staff members are recognized with the Bouquet of Recognition Awards for Excellence. Honorees personify the qualities found in the mission and values of Ohio’s Hospice and are the foundation upon which remarkable patient experiences are built.
These honorees consistently demonstrate excellence through their expertise and extraordinary care of patients and families. They are recognized as outstanding role models in the Ohio’s Hospice community. These are the recipients for the third quarter of 2025.
Jill Lewis, Foundation development director at Ohio’s Hospice, was recognized with the Carnation Award for going above and beyond her normal daily job activities. Teresa Knisley nominated Jill for helping her and her daughter during a difficult visit to Ohio’s Hospice in Dayton.
“In mid-August, my former husband was cared for at Hospice for several days before he passed,” Teresa shared in her nomination. “Our 26-year-old daughter was trying to spend as many moments with him as she could while navigating a difficult ‘additional’ family dynamic. Jill’s office was just around the corner from his room, and it was a blessing when we ran into her. Jill provided a calming space and lent a listening ear to my daughter and to me on a very stressful and heart-wrenching day. She paused her Foundation work to make time for us and went above and beyond to address our concerns and connect us with the appropriate staff to understand the situation and advocate for my daughter.”
Teresa, a former hospice employee, was extremely thankful that Jill remained in contact after that day. “I truly appreciate the care and compassion that Jill continued to show to my daughter and to her extended family the following day. As a former Hospice employee myself, having worked with Jill, I know how passionate she is about the mission of Ohio’s Hospice. To see her truly embody the mission from a patient’s family’s perspective was so meaningful. She made a difference in our lives during those difficult days, and we are grateful that she was there!”
Congratulations to Jill on being recognized with the Carnation Award and thanks to her for her support of the Ohio’s Hospice mission.
Ohio’s Hospice is proud to be a DAISY Award® partner, recognizing nurses with this special honor quarterly. The international program rewards and celebrates the extraordinary, compassionate and skillful care given by nurses every day.
Kaley Yeager, an ICC at Licking Memorial Hospital with Ohio’s Hospice, received the DAISY Award for how she treated a patient.
“We had a patient on the ICC that had a rough couple months at home and his appearance had become very disheveled,” a staff member wrote in her nomination. “Himself and his family kept asking if we had someone to cut his hair and long beard. We didn’t have anyone that would, so Kaley located a professional that was willing to come cut the patient’s hair on their own time. It was an amazing transformation watching the patient go from grumpy and disheveled to proud of how he looked and happier.”
Kaley was cited for going “above and beyond” as a nurse, showing compassion, respect and complete care for her patient.
Congratulations to Kaley on being recognized with the DAISY Award and thanks to her for her support of the Ohio’s Hospice mission.
Sunflower Award – Nicole Peters
Nicole Peters, a personal care specialist at our Dayton location, received the Sunflower Award for her special care of a patient.
“My sister was diagnosed with Lewey Body Dementia at 54 years old,” nominator Athena Schutte wrote. “It has been an extremely difficult disease to watch her suffer. Nicole went above and beyond to make us feel that she was important to not only us but to her as well. She remembered her from a previous stay at the Hospice House and told us about how my sister came up behind her and hugged her and told her she missed her even though she had never met her. She told us that she only wished that my sister knew how much she needed that hug.”
Another nominator wrote that Nicole’s “Care for my mother-in-law, Claudia, went far beyond medical support. She brought warmth, laughter, dignity, and heart into every visit. From the moment Nicole walked into the room, she carried a bright, comforting presence. Always with a smile on her face and a wonderful sense of humor, she made Claudia feel truly seen, heard, and cared for.”
A third nominator added that, “Nicole not only cared for our mom, she lifted our spirits. She cared for our mom the way she would care for her own family. She would stop over to check on all of us even after her shift had ended. She went above and beyond, coming in on her day off to say a final goodbye with us.”
Congratulations to Nicole on being recognized with the Sunflower Award and thanks to her for her support of the Ohio’s Hospice mission.
Dr. Lisa Mauer, chief medical officer with Pure Healthcare, was recognized with the Tulip Award for helping a staff member with a patient.
“I recently started a difficult crisis care case, late into my shift and had no idea what ‘region’ I was in so I could talk to a doctor about getting new medication orders for my patient,” the staff member wrote in her nomination. “Dr. Maurer was on call that evening, but not for ‘symptom management’ (which is what I needed). I believe she was on call for new admission patients. Dr. Maurer did not hesitate though for one second to help me get new orders for my patient to help get him comfortable.”
The staff member added that they were appreciative for Dr. Mauer going the extra mile and helping, especially during stressful situations when patients are not comfortable.
Congratulations to Dr. Mauer on being recognized with the Tulip Award and thanks to her for her support of the Ohio’s Hospice mission.
