NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Adult Intensive Care Unit Earns 2025 Gold Beacon Award for Excellence for Third Time in a Row
The 2025 award makes Metropolitan Hospital one of only 24 ICUs nationwide to receive consecutive Gold Beacon designations in 2024 and 2025—and one of just four in New York State This designation makes the hospital’s 9B Adult ICU the health care system’s longest continually recognized unit
Jan 21, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan today announced that its Adult Intensive Care Unit has earned the 2025 Gold Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. This designation makes the hospital’s 9B Adult ICU the health care system’s longest continually recognized unit. The 2025 award marks the unit’s third consecutive Beacon designation since first receiving the award in 2021. This sustained recognition also places Metropolitan Hospital among only 24 ICUs nationally to earn consecutive Gold-level awards in 2024 and 2025 and one of just four in New York State.
The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes critical care units that demonstrate sustained excellence through evidence-based, innovative practices that improve patient outcomes, enhance nursing practice, and promote healthy work environments. The Gold Award is the highest honor, recognizing unit caregivers who successfully improve unit outcomes and align practices with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Unlike other awards that recognize hospitals and facilities as an entity, the Beacon Award for Excellence specifically honors individual units for outstanding performance.
The 9B ICU exceeded the national mean in ten of the award categories, including patient outcomes, support for professional development, continuing education, nurse well-being, and initiatives advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. The unit’s nursing team metrics mirror its quality outcomes: 89% of nurses hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, average tenure on the unit is 7.7 years, and total nursing experience averages nearly a decade—9.9 years.
Re-earning gold-level status in 2025 underscores the hospital’s focus on clinical leadership, staffing and communication, evidence-based practice, and continuous performance improvement. These achievements reflect a culture that drives both patient outcomes and staff development, while setting the standard for critical care within the health system, state, and country.
“A third consecutive Beacon Award reflects the legacy of excellence that defines care at Metropolitan Hospital,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Chief Executive Officer Julian S. John, MPA. “At the heart of that legacy are our frontline staff, including the nurses of our adult intensive care unit, whose dedication and innovation deliver clinical outcomes that make our hospital a pillar of care and community.”
“Our nurses turn evidence-based practice into results every day, and this renewed recognition reflects that,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Chief Nursing Officer Christopher G. Wilson, MSN, RN, CNML, CENP, NEA-BC, FACHE. “The delivery of complex care at the level our patients and community demand continues to impact lives in our Adult ICU and set benchmarks for critical care nationwide.”
“This Gold-level designation not only demonstrates sustained performance at the unit level, but also reflects skilled staffing, strategic clinical oversight, and a drive for continued excellence,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Director of Nursing for Inpatient Medical Services Andrew Wuthrich, MBA, MSN, RN, ONC, NE-BC, CPAN.
“This honor highlights how nursing practice thrives in an environment where standards are clear, professional growth is prioritized, and quality outcomes are not only measured but valued,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Assistant Director of Nursing, 9B Intensive Care Unit, Ivonne Bonfante, BSN, RN.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Domonique Chaplin, NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, (212) 423-7782.
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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is a 338-bed facility serving East Harlem and surrounding communities. Known historically as the primary health care provider in El Barrio, Metropolitan delivers high-quality, compassionate care to over 400,000 clinic visits and more than 60,000 emergency room visits annually. The hospital is a designated Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) Center of Excellence and a recognized “Leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign. Since 2021, the hospital has been ranked #1 in New York State for health equity and inclusivity across all categories by the Lown Institute. Metropolitan has earned numerous honors, including the AORN, Beacon, Lantern, and Pathway to Excellence with Distinction awards, and national recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals list. With a legacy spanning 150 years, Metropolitan maintains the nation’s oldest municipal hospital-medical school affiliation through its longstanding partnership with New York Medical College. Learn more at www.nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan.
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 plan—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.