NEWS RELEASE – May 13, 2026
Morgan County ARH Nurse Honored with
DAISY Award for Extraordinary Care
WEST LIBERTY, Ky. –
Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) is proud to announce that Heidi Lyons, a nurse at Morgan County ARH, has been honored with The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses.
The DAISY Award recognizes nurses who go above and beyond to provide compassionate, skillful, and meaningful care to patients and their families. Lyons was nominated by a family member who witnessed the comfort, professionalism, and kindness she showed while caring for their mother during a difficult time.
“I was so blessed to have a nurse tend to my mom as she struggled for her life,” the nomination read. “The comfort in the nurse’s eyes and professionalism she sustained while smiling was amazing. I could only catch her for a moment, as she was bouncing around the hospital, tending to others. I want to nominate her for the DAISY Award. Her name is Heidi.”
For Morgan County ARH, Lyons’ recognition reflects the heart of nursing and the lasting impact compassionate care can have on patients and families.
“This recognition speaks not only to the compassion Heidi showed in a family’s most difficult moment, but also to the professionalism, warmth and selfless dedication she brings to nursing every single day,” said Chief Nursing Officer Allie Archer. “The ability to provide comfort while delivering exceptional care is what makes a truly extraordinary nurse, and this DAISY Award nomination is a beautiful reflection of the lasting impact she has on the lives of others.”
The DAISY Foundation was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who passed away in 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. His family created the foundation after experiencing firsthand the extraordinary care nurses provide to patients and families every day.
The DAISY Award is now presented in thousands of healthcare facilities and schools of nursing across the world, honoring nurses, nurse-led teams, nurse leaders, nursing faculty, students, and others who demonstrate exceptional dedication to the nursing profession.
ARH congratulates Heidi Lyons on this well-deserved recognition and thanks her for the compassion, professionalism, and care she provides to patients and families at Morgan County ARH.
About Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH)
Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) traces its roots back to 1955, when the United Mine Workers of America opened the Miners Memorial Hospital system – a network of 10 hospitals dedicated to providing care throughout the coalfields of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. Seventy years later, ARH has grown into a 14-hospital not-for-profit health system that serves more than 500,000 residents of central Appalachia each year. ARH hospitals in Barbourville, Harlan, Hazard, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky, and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, ensure that residents, tucked away in even the most remote areas, can access the highest quality of care without traveling hours from home. ARH’s hospitals, clinics, multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores, retail pharmacies, and medical spas boast more than 6,700 employees with a network of more than 1,300 providers, making it the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.