NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Coronary Care Unit Recognized With American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Gold-Level Beacon Award for Excellence
The unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is the only Coronary Care Unit in New York City, only the third in New York State, and only one of eight in the United States to earn gold-level designation
The national three-year award marks a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and achieving a healthy work environment
Jan 23, 2023
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue announced today that the hospital’s Coronary Care Unit has received a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
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 patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with gold, silver or bronze designations meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
Bellevue’s is the only Coronary Care Unit in New York City to earn gold-level designation. In addition, it is only the third unit of its kind in New York State, and only one of eight in the United States to be recognized at this level.
“Thank you to our frontline staff, nurse leaders and all of the members of the interdisciplinary Coronary Care Unit team for their dedication to excellence,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive Natalia Cineas, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “It is an honor to support our amazing nurses as they are recognized for the outstanding care they provide to our patients.”
“We are extremely proud of the gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Executive Officer William Hicks. “This award confirms what we already know: our nurses provide the highest level of care every day to the most critical patients in our city, even in the face of historic challenges. Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment!”
“We celebrate all of the nurses in our Coronary Care Unit on achieving the gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Nursing Officer Omar Abedalrhman, EdD, RN. “Our nurses continuously exceed national standards of treatment and care while tending to the extremely sensitive needs of our patients. Thank you for your hard work and exemplary commitment to care.”
“Our nursing team is driven by a passionate dedication to our mission to ensure that all of our patients receive the excellent care they deserve,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Director of Nursing for Critical Care Vito Stasolla, MSN, RN. “The real beneficiaries of this important recognition are the patients and families we serve.”
“Being recognized as a Beacon unit, especially while working to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the team’s ongoing commitment to providing safe, patient-centered and evidence-based care to patients and families,” said AACN President Amanda Bettencourt PhD, APRN, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P. “Achieving this award is an honor, and the team should be proud of setting such a high standard in patient care and positive patient outcomes.”
The gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by the Coronary Care Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue signifies an effective and systematic approach to policies, procedures and processes that include engagement of staff and key stakeholders; fact-based evaluation strategies for continuous process improvement; and performance measures that meet or exceed relevant benchmarks. The Coronary Care Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevueearned a gold award by meeting the following evidence-based Beacon Award for Excellence 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
AACN’s President Bettencourt applauded the commitment of the caregivers at the Coronary Care Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other members of the exceptional community of nurses, who set the standard for optimal patient care.
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is America’s oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the 844-bed hospital is a major referral center for highly complex cases, with 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. The hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center and annually it sees almost 100,000 emergency room visits, more than 520,000 outpatient visits, and almost 200,000 visits to our COVID-19 testing and vaccine centers. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Bariatric Surgery; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue or follow us on Twitter at @BellevueHosp.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.
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 @AACNme.