NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County Earns National Recognition as Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety
Designation recognizes the hospital’s commitment to evidence-based practices, interdisciplinary teamwork, and safer, more effective surgical recovery for patients With this award, Kings County Hospital now holds all three Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety designations offered by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
Aug 19, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County today announced its designation as a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), the nation’s leading authority on perioperative nursing practice. This recognition honors the facility’s commitment to improving patients’ physical and psychological well-being before, during, and after surgery through consistent, evidence-based Enhanced Recovery practices. The Center of Excellence designation signifies that NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County has successfully completed AORN’s comprehensive ERAS program, an evidence-based, multidisciplinary initiative focused on reducing postoperative complications, improving pain management, optimizing recovery, and strengthening team communication. With this award, Kings County Hospital now holds all three Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety designations offered by AORN.
To earn this national recognition NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County completed a rigorous assessment and implemented a series of key initiatives, including:
- A comprehensive review and enhancement of existing ERAS-related protocols
- Adoption of advanced technologies that support best practices in surgical safety
- Advanced education and skills training for surgical team members
- A strengthened culture of communication and psychological safety in the Operating Room, empowering team members to speak up for patient safety
This achievement reflects NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County’s dedication to elevating surgical care, advancing outcomes, and ensuring consistent, high-quality recovery experiences for every patient.
“This recognition reflects our team’s unwavering commitment to surgical safety, evidence-based care, and better outcomes for every patient,” said Sheldon McLeod, Chief Executive Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County. “I’m incredibly proud of our staff for their dedication to collaboration, communication, and continuous improvement.”
“Kings County Hospital currently holds all three Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety designations offered by AORN,” said Ann Marie-Williams, Director of Nursing at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County. “ERAS uses evidence-based protocols to improve patients’ physical and psychological conditions before, during, and after surgery. It involves the entire perioperative team utilizing a coordinated plan of treatment specific to each patient to enhance outcomes and expedite recovery.”
“ERAS is one of the strongest examples of how coordinated, interdisciplinary practice improves patient outcomes,” said David Wyatt, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, CNOR, FAORN, FAAN, AORN’s CEO & Executive Director. “This designation reflects a facility’s commitment to shared standards, teamwork, and the evidence-based interventions that make surgery safer.”
About AORN
Founded in 1949, AORN supports more than 200,000 perioperative nurses with evidence-based research, education, standards, and resources to enable optimal outcomes and promote safe surgery for every patient, every time. For more information, visit www.aorn.org.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Alexis Davis, Chief Communications Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County is a 639-bed acute care teaching hospital located in Central Brooklyn. Among our highly specialized programs are a Level I Trauma Center, Pediatric Emergency Room, Level 3 Perinatal Center, Heart Health Center, Stroke Center, Sickle Cell Program, Behavioral Health Center, and Diabetes Education Center of Excellence. Many of our programs have received national recognition, including our cardiac, stroke, and diabetes services. The hospital offers a broad array of primary and specialty care, including practices in neuroscience, orthopedics, urology and cardiology. Annually, our ambulatory care practices see well over 500,000 visits and more than 150,000 visits in the Behavioral Health outpatient program, in addition to close to 23,000 inpatient discharges. NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County has played a major role in providing health care to vulnerable populations in Brooklyn since 1831 and is part of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the nation. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/kingscounty and stay connected on Facebook at facebook.com/KingsCountyHosp or X at @KingsCountyHosp.
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 MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 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, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.