April 30, 2013

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently conferred a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence on 12CD Neuroscience Unit at Good Samaritan.

"I am proud of the staff on 12CD for their commitment toward continuously raising the bar and improving the quality of care provided to their patients," said Mary Irvin, senior vice president and Chief Nurse Executive.

The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN's six standards for a healthy work environment:

• Leadership Structures and Systems
• Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
• Effective Communication, Knowledge Management, Learning and Development, Best Practices
• Evidence-Based Practice and Processes
• Patient Outcomes

"We're very honored by this award as it recognizes the focused, dedicated evidence based work of all of our staff to achieve the best outcomes for our patients," said Janet Ginn, 12CD Neuroscience Unit manager.

Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.

AACN will recognize 12CD Neuroscience  and other award recipients with an announcement in AACN Bold Voices, the monthly member magazine and at the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, the world's largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families.