The Intensive Care Unit at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center has been honored with the silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), recognizing the team’s dedication to outstanding patient care.
"We are extremely grateful to have been recognized by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses for this prestigious award. Caring for our community is our calling, and underscores Orange Coast Medical Center's relentless commitment to patient safety and family centered care. I'm extremely humble and proud of the outstanding dedication our Intensive Care Unit team displays every day."
- Annabelle Braun, chief nursing officer, MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center.
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 unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that earn this annual award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence.
AACN President Jennifer Adamski, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, CCRN, FCCM, applauds the commitment of the caregivers at the Critical Care Unit at Orange Coast Medical Center for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence to achieve a silver-level designation. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other members of our exceptional community of nurses, who set the standard for optimal patient care.
“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding 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,” Adamski explains.
Orange Coast Medical Center highlights a strong commitment to quality care through effective policies, procedures and staff engagement. This recognition reflects the unit’s dedication to continuous evaluation, improvement and performance excellence based on national benchmarks. Orange Coast Medical Center achieved this distinction by excelling in the following evidence-based Beacon for Excellence criteria: patient outcomes, nursing workforce and work environment.
Many units provide exceptional patient care however Beacon Awarded units distinguish themselves by excelling in many areas demonstrated in their application. Through participation in the Beacon Award Program units can compare and reflect on their performance compared to global applicants.
"We recognize that having a loved one in the intensive care unit can be an incredibly stressful experience," says Braun. "Our dedication lies in making families feel involved, supported, and assured of the exceptional care we are giving to their loved ones."