NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue on January 23, 2023 announced 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 the 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 Abedalrhaman, 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/Bellevue earned 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.
