Methodist Fremont Health Nurse Alicia Zoucha Honored With The DAISY Award

It wasn’t the birth that Kassie Moline and her husband, Jared, expected. But they’ll never forget baby Mills’ entry into the world or the outstanding care the whole family received in the days afterward.

Mills was born on Jan. 14 at Methodist Fremont Health with his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck four times.

“To be quite frank, that’s pretty miraculous that he’s alive,” said Alicia Zoucha, BSN, RN, C-EFM, CLC, a labor and delivery and postpartum nurse. “I literally was like, ‘Thank you, God, for taking care of this baby.’”

Zoucha, who cared for the Molines over the next three days, dubbed the newborn “Miracle Mills.” And as he recovered from his rocky birth, she worked to make the family as comfortable as possible.

As a mother of two herself, Zoucha enjoyed helping the family practice new skills like breastfeeding and infant bathing. Kassie said she appreciated how Zoucha took the lead in explaining things to the first-time parents.

“I feel like she just made it an experience for us,” Kassie said. “We weren’t just in and out of there. She made sure we got the whole experience and made it enjoyable.”

Said Zoucha: “That’s my calling, to help these moms and babies. It’s just so cool to see them, help walk them through all those stages and answer their questions, and just be there. That just fills my bucket, to see them so happy and have good care, and to bring this new baby into the world.”

Kassie was so impressed by her family’s care that she wrote a note of thanks to hospital leaders. She commended the staff for saving Mills’ life and called Zoucha’s care “a blessing” before ending with: “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

The note was read aloud earlier this month as Zoucha was surprised with The DAISY Award, which recognizes nurses for their extraordinary skill and compassion.

“Childbirth is an experience that you’re always going to remember,” Zoucha said. “It’s once in a lifetime. So when I see someone have a great experience, there’s nothing more thrilling.”

Read more in the Methodist newsroom.