WHITE PLAINS, NY – (November 21, 2017) – The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), Aliso Viejo, CA, conferred its gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at White Plains Hospital, the only NICU in New York State to receive it.
The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes unit caregivers who employ evidence-based practices to improve patient and family outcomes. Beacon-designated units meet criteria in five categories that are consistent with criteria for national awards, including Magnet recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and National Quality Forum's Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards. Units that receive the award demonstrate practices that align with AACN’s Healthy Work Environment Standards. Gold-level Beacon award demonstrate staff-driven excellence in sustained unit performance and improved patient outcomes that exceed national benchmarks. The Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) first received the Beacon award in 2014, and again in 2017. The Hospital’s Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) received the Beacon award in 2016.
AACN President Clareen Wiencek, PhD, RN, ACHPN, ACNP, associate professor of nursing at University of Virginia School of Nursing and program director of advanced practice, applauds the commitment of the caregivers in the White Plains Hospital NICU for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other nurses nationwide who set the standard for optimal patient care.
Leigh Anne McMahon, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at White Plains Hospital said, “The Beacon Award sets the standard for excellence in patient care using evidenced-based practices to improve patient outcomes, patient experience, and staff engagement. The NICU was able to demonstrate that they met the defined criteria that creates cultures which exemplify nursing excellence in leadership, communication and inter-professional collaboration, as well as knowledge management and professional development. We are the only NICU in New York State to receive the Gold-level award, and one of only 18 across the country. The NICU joins the ICU and CCU as the third critical care unit at White Plains Hospital to receive the Beacon Award for Excellence!” White Plains Hospital’s 15-bed state-of-the-art NICU provides all the technological support that a baby may need, in a comfortable, soothing environment. The NICU is designated a level III NICU, the highest level available to a community hospital. The NICU supports high-risk obstetric and fetal monitoring to allow high-risk babies to stay with their mothers during this critical time. The NICU team consists of six board-certified neonatologists and 40 specialized and certified registered nurses who provide an unrivaled level of individualized care, helping babies and families get home healthy, happy and as soon as possible.
About White Plains Hospital: White Plains Hospital (WPH) is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System, serving as its tertiary hub of advanced care in the Hudson Valley. WPH is a 292-bed not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. Centers of Excellence include the Center for Cancer Care, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center and The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center. The Hospital’s Flanzer Emergency Department is the busiest in Westchester County, seeing nearly 57,000 visits a year. White Plains Hospital performs lifesaving emergency and elective angioplasty in its Joan and Alan Herfort, M.D. Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Marie Promuto Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. White Plains Hospital has outpatient medical facilities across Westchester, including multispecialty practices in Armonk and New Rochelle; and Scarsdale Medical Group locations in Harrison and Scarsdale. The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and earned its recognition as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures® in 2015 and 2013. The Hospital is also an eleven-time winner of the Consumer Choice Award, an honor given to the nation’s top hospitals by the National Research Corporation, and received Magnet® designation in 2012 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Hospital was re-designated with Magnet status in 2016. For additional information, visit www.wphospital.org.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, CA, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN joins together the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses and claims more than 235 chapters worldwide. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. To learn more about AACN, visit www.aacn.org, connect with the organization on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aacnface or follow AACN on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aacnme
About the Beacon Award for Excellence: Established in 2003, the Beacon Award for Excellence offers a road map to help guide exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. U.S. or Canadian units where patients receive their principal nursing care after hospital admission qualify for this excellence award. Units that receive the Beacon Award for Excellence meet criteria in six categories: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management, learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call (800) 899-2226.