The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), Aliso Viejo, California, recently conferred a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence on the emergency observation unit at Unity Hospital.
The latest award brings Rochester Regional Health’s total to 29 Beacon awards which is the most of any hospital system in the country.
The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six healthy work environment standards.
Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
The silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by the emergency observation unit at Unity Hospital signifies an effective approach to policies, procedures and processes that includes engagement of staff and key stakeholders. The unit has evaluation and improvement strategies in place and good performance measures when compared to relevant benchmarks. The emergency observation unit at Unity Hospital earned its silver award by meeting the following evidence-based Beacon Award for Excellence criteria: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement.