American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Recognizes the Intensive Care Unit at Adventist Health Castle With Beacon Award for Excellence

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), recently conferred a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Adventist Health Castle.

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 unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that earn this annual award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence.

AACN President Jennifer Adamski, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, CCRN, FCCM, applauds the commitment of the caregivers at the Intensive Care Unit at Adventist Health Castle for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence to achieve a silver level designation. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other members of our exceptional community of nurses, who set the standard for optimal patient care.

“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes. Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care,” she explains.

This recognition is a testament to the dedication, skill and compassion of our ICU team,” said Kristina Clark, patient care executive at Adventist Health Castle. “Earning the silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence reflects our commitment to providing the highest quality care in a supportive and collaborative environment. I am incredibly proud of our ICU team for their unwavering focus on patient safety, clinical excellence and teamwork.”

Many units provide exceptional patient care, however Beacon Awarded units distinguish themselves by excelling in many areas demonstrated in their application. Through participation in the Beacon Award Program units can compare and reflect on their performance compared to global applicants. There are very subtle differences for different scoring levels, often differentiated by 1 point or less. All awardees demonstrate dynamic and outstanding performance in the areas of: Patient Outcomes, Nursing Workforce and Work Environment.

Jackie Liebowitz, Chief Nursing Executive at Adventist Health acknowledged the significance of this accomplishment. “Congratulations to the team. Quite impressive results on the first try,” Liebowitz said.

By participating in the Beacon Award program, units like Adventist Health Castle’s ICU can compare and reflect on their performance alongside healthcare teams nationwide, continuously striving for excellence in patient care.