AURORA, Colo. – The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently conferred a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence on the Neuro ICU at the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH).
The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and work environments. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with gold, silver and bronze designations meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
AACN President Mary Stahl, RN, MSN, ACNS-BC, CCNS-CMC, CCRN, applauds the commitment of this unit for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence. These dedicated healthcare professionals set the standard for optimal patient care.
“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in stellar units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes. Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care,” said Stahl.
UCH Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer Carolyn Sanders, RN, PhD, NEA-BC, congratulates the Neuro ICU staff on this top-level award. “Our nurses work incredibly hard every day to make sure we deliver the best possible patient care, and the UCH Neuro ICU should be extremely proud of this national recognition.”
The gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by UCH’s Neuro ICU signifies excellent and sustained unit performance and patient outcomes. The unit earned a gold award by meeting the following criteria:
- 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
AACN honors Beacon Award for Excellence recipients with announcements in AACN Bold Voices, the monthly award-winning member magazine distributed to more than 90,000 acute and critical care nurses nationwide. AACN also honors awardees 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.
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. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call (800) 899-2226. 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. To learn more about AACN, visit www.aacn.org, connect with the organization on Facebook at facebook.com/aacnface or follow AACN on Twitter at twitter.com/aacnme.
About University of Colorado Hospital
University of Colorado Hospital is the Rocky Mountain region's leading academic medical center. It is recognized as the highest-performing academic hospital in the United States for delivering quality health care by the University HealthSystem Consortium, and is ranked as the best hospital in the Denver metro area and one of the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report. UCH is best known as an innovator in patient care and often as one of the first hospitals to bring new medicine to the patients’ bedside. The hospital’s physicians are affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, part of the University of Colorado system. Based on the expansive Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO, the hospital is where patient care, research and education converge to establish the future of health care delivery. For additional information, please visit the University of Colorado Hospital media page.
Contact: dan.weaver@ucdenver.edu
