Baptist Children’s Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Receives Silver Beacon Award For Excellence In Critical Care
MIAMI, FL— February 26, 2018 — The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Baptist Children’s Hospital has earned a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
This distinction recognizes critical care units in which caregivers commit to exceptional patient care and improved patient outcomes, and who align their practices with the AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. The criteria used to determine recipients of this three-year designation mirror those of renowned national quality designations, such as the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program for nursing, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
“This recognition means we’re striving for, and achieving, optimal patient care in our PICU,” said Nancy Huertas Savino, Assistant Vice President of Nursing of Baptist Children’s Hospital, Obstetrics and Women’s Services. “Our entire care team in the PICU has welcomed the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to following evidence-based practices that result in the best care for our patients.”
The silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence signifies the PICU team has established effective policies, procedures and processes that consider the input of staff and key stakeholders. It also acknowledges the presence of improvement strategies and performance measures that are regularly compared to those of other hospitals to determine best practices.
Baptist Children’s Hospital’s PICU earned its Beacon Award for Excellence by meeting the following evidence-based criteria:
- Leadership structures and systems
- Appropriate staffing and staff engagement
- Effective communication, knowledge management and learning and development
- Evidence-based practice and processes
- Outcome measurement
“While patient care and nursing are often judged by compassion and service to our patients and their families, we must hold ourselves to the high levels of care, achieved by evidence-based practices,” said Lourdes Castaneda, R.N., Director of Patient Care, Baptist Children’s Hospital. “This is definitely a high-touch environment, and we strive to couple that with positive outcomes for our patients.”
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About Baptist Children’s Hospital
Baptist Children’s Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with ten hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, Doctors Hospital, Fishermen’s Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital), more than 40 physician practices, 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and internationally renowned centers of excellence spanning across Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has approximately 19,500 employees and more than 3,000 affiliated physicians. Baptist Health South Florida has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/newsroom and connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistHealthSF and on Twitter and Instagram @BaptistHealthSF.
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. and 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, and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call 800-899-2226.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and includes more than 200 chapters in the United States. 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.
