Extraordinary Nurse Recognized at Nashville General Hospital: Margaret Lovell, RN

Margaret Lovell, RN, has cared for the smallest patients at Nashville General Hospital for thirteen years — a tenure in the NICU that began in April 2013. In that time, she has built something that captures her quiet, persistent love for the families she serves: a tucked-away corner of the unit, known by her colleagues as Margaret's Closet, stocked from her own pocket with the supplies new parents need most.

When a family arrives without a car seat to take their baby home, Margaret's Closet has one. When a mother needs newborn essentials she can't afford, Margaret's Closet has them. It is community outreach in its most personal form — not a program, not a campaign, but a nurse who saw what her patients needed and quietly, year after year, made sure they had it.

"Community outreach isn't always a big production," shared a colleague who nominated her. "Sometimes it's as simple as giving a new mom a car seat or newborn supplies to a family in need. Margaret should know how truly special her act of love is for this hospital."

Her work in the NICU embodies the very reason Nashville General Hospital exists: We care for you, for life. Margaret's example reminds us that exceptional nursing reaches beyond the bedside — into the homes, the car rides, and the first days of life that follow.

About The DAISY Foundation

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 5,000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants and their new Health Equity Grant programs. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org

Honoree Details

• Name: Margaret Lovell, RN
• Department: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• Tenure at NGH: 13 years (since April 2013)
• Notable contribution: Founder and steward of "Margaret's Closet" — a NICU resource of donated and self-funded supplies (car seats, newborn essentials) for families in need.