UT Health East Texas Rehabilitation Center nurse receives DAISY Award
Coletta Ford, RN
Tyler, Texas (May 8, 2026) — Coletta Ford, RN, recently received the DAISY Award for outstanding patient care at UT Health East Texas Rehabilitation Center.
Ford was nominated by a patient who said she “is the true definition of a caring and compassionate nurse who does everything in such a professional manner.”
“From the first day I was admitted to UT Health Rehab she did whatever I needed, even if it was really something the techs should do. And all she did, she did with compassion,” the nomination read. “I asked hundreds of questions, and she answered them or got an answer for me and never seemed frustrated with me. She is great and I am super thankful for her.”
As a winner of the DAISY Award, Ford received a certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the honoree’s colleagues, patients and visitors.
The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died in 1999 at age 33 from complications of an autoimmune disease (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Barnes and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. Today, this program has been implemented in more the 1,900 healthcare facilities, including UT Health East Texas.
About UT Health East Texas
UT Health East Texas provides care to thousands of patients each year through an extensive regional network that includes 9 hospitals, more than 90 clinics, the Olympic Plaza Tower, 13 regional rehabilitation facilities, two freestanding emergency centers, regional home health services, an EMS fleet of more than 65 ambulances and four helicopters, and a comprehensive eight-trauma center care network, including the region’s only Level 1 trauma facility.
As a partner with The University of Texas System, UT Health East Texas is uniquely positioned to provide patients with access to leading-edge research and clinical therapies while training and educating the next generation of physicians and other health professionals. The nationally recognized UT System also includes The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, as well as three other major university medical centers located throughout the state.