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Daynay Xuarez Hernandez, Nursing Supervisor, was honored with the Monarch Caring and Community Award, which recognizes the most exceptional caregivers from the health system’s 80+ locations nationwide.
Daynay Xuarez Hernandez, Nursing Supervisor at Kindred Hospital South Florida – Coral Gables, was honored on Wednesday, Oct. 1 as one of only three recipients nationally of ScionHealth’s 2025 Monarch Caring and Community Award ‒ the highest annual honor the company presents to healthcare professionals who work in its 80 specialty and community hospitals across 26 states.
Hernandez was selected from among the 80 award finalists (one from each hospital) within ScionHealth, which has approximately 22,000 total employees across the country. She received the award during the closing event of the annual ScionHealth Caregiver Summit in Louisville, which is the location of the company’s corporate headquarters.
The Monarch Caring and Community award recognizes the company’s most exceptional caregivers who consistently go above and beyond to deliver excellent patient care, elevate the patient’s experience, and support their colleagues and communities.
Hernandez, a nurse leader in the ICU who has worked at Kindred Hospital since 2022, said she was humbled when her work as a caregiver was recognized with the parent company’s prestigious Monarch Award.
“It’s amazing,” said Hernandez, who was joined at the ceremony by leaders of her hospital. “I’m so glad that (members of) my team (were) here. … This is for them and for our whole team and our patients. We are like family.”
She added that to key to being an outstanding caregiver is that “you have to lead with your heart.”
Hernandez was nominated for the honor by Orquidea Diez-Martin, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at Kindred Hospital South Florida – Coral Gables, a 55-bed long-term acute care hospital. Diez-Martin highlighted Hernandez’s clinical skill, leadership, contributions to the hospital’s culture, and compassion for patients, families, and team members. She noted that Hernandez often goes beyond her normal duties by stepping in to fill staffing gaps, participating in community health events, and championing the parent company’s quality initiative.
“Daynay Hernandez is what makes Kindred Hospital who we are,” said Orquidea Diez-Martin, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at Kindred Hospital South Florida – Coral Gables. “She’s the center of everything that we do. She cares for our patients. She cares for our families. She cares for the staff. She’s an amazing nurse. She has this huge heart, and she puts that heart into every single thing that she does.”
And she does it in a manner that influences others to do better, noted Diez-Martin.
“Daynay’s personality is contagious – it’s important to have in a team someone always willing to work and willing to collaborate with other team members,” Diez-Martin said. “When you have someone like her on the team, others start picking up on that. Now it’s no longer a thing of ‘who’s going to do what;’ it’s ‘when we’re going to do this.’ She is the glue that keeps that whole team together.”
“You can’t fake being a good nurse,” added David O’Brien, Market CEO of Kindred Hospitals of South Florida. “You can’t fake being a good nurse leader. You need to bring that to work with you every day. We’re dealing with patients and families sometimes at the worst times of their lives, and Daynay manages to bring a smile to the table every day.
“She leads with compassion. I think that nursing represents some of the best qualities that we have as human beings. Daynay comes to work every day with that compassion and that desire to make lives better. And that’s truly what makes a great nurse.”
Gabriela de la Torre, an infectious disease nurse at the hospital, says she looks forward to the occasions when she gets to work with Hernandez.
“Every time that I work with her, I know for sure that it will be a good day,” she said. “I’m very grateful that she has been in my life in general, not only as a supervisor but as a friend. She’s always helping me, personally, to believe in myself and have the confidence to do what I’m doing and grow within this company. She’s amazing.”
Luis Aleman, Director of Nursing and Clinical Services at the hospital, praised Hernandez with perhaps the ultimate compliment, noting that he would want her to care for his loved ones.
“If my mother or my family were here at this institution, Daynay is the nurse that I want,” he said. “I have never met a more special nurse than Daynay. She’s the best nurse that I have ever worked with – someone who easily shines above the rest. She’s a role model for nurses to follow.”
Hernandez was honored along with two other ScionHealth 2025 Monarch Caring and Community Award recipients – Justin Fogt, Director of Cardiac Nursing Services at St. Francis – Emory Healthcare in Columbus, Georgia, and Adam Rodriguez, House Supervisor, Solara Specialty Hospitals McAllen (Texas). An honorary Monarch Award for Courage and Resilience was also presented to Ronald Adams, Security Supervisor, Kindred Hospital Paramount (California). Adams was nominated for a Monarch Award a year ago, and health issues since have led to hospitalizations, including a lengthy recovery at his own hospital, Kindred Hospital Paramount. To learn more about ScionHealth’s Monarch Caring and Community Award and view videos showcasing each of the award recipients, visit scionhealth.com/employees/monarch-caring-and-community-award.
About Kindred Hospital South Florida – Coral Gables
Kindred Hospital South Florida – Coral Gables is a 55-bed freestanding long-term acute care hospital offering the same in-depth care you would receive in a traditional hospital, but for an extended recovery period. We partner with your physician and offer 24-hour clinical care seven days a week so you can start your journey to wellness. We are located less than four miles from downtown Coral Gables and surrounded by many shops and restaurants.
About ScionHealth
ScionHealth is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centered hospital care by empowering the hands that heal to do what they do best. The health system is focused on driving innovation, serving its communities, and investing in people and technology to deliver compassionate patient care and excellent health outcomes. Headquartered in Louisville, ScionHealth operates more than 80 hospital campuses – including long-term acute care hospitals and short-term acute care community hospitals, as well as senior living locations – across 26 states. For more information, visit ScionHealth.com.
