St. Peter’s Hospital NICU Wins Silver Beacon Award for Excellence

The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at St. Peter’s Hospital, an affiliate of St. Peter’s Health Partners, has received a silver-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.

The 15-bed NICU at St. Peter’s Hospital, a Level III facility, provides specialized medical care to newborns who require close observation and attention. The unit is staffed 24 hours a day with board-certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, registered nurses certified in neonatal nursing, and other clinical specialists.

“Congratulations to the St. Peter’s Hospital NICU team that was recently awarded the silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence,” said Celeste DesChamps, RN, MS, NEA-BC, director of the emergency department, and interim chief nursing officer at St. Peter’s Hospital. “The NICU staff works tirelessly to provide the best, most compassionate care to our hospital’s most vulnerable patients. This recognition from AACN reinforces what we hear every day from patients and their families: nurses at St. Peter’s Hospital provide exceptional care.”

AACN President Karen McQuillan, RN, MS, CNS-BC, CCRN, CNRN, FAAN, applauded the commitment of the caregivers at the St. Peter’s Hospital NICU for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence.

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

The silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by the NICU at St. Peter’s Hospital signifies continuous learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. The St. Peter’s Hospital NICU earned its silver 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, Learning and Development
• Evidence-Based Practice and Processes
• Outcome Measurement

AACN will honor the NICU at St. Peter’s Hospital and other Beacon Award for Excellence recipients with announcements in AACN Bold Voices, the monthly magazine distributed to more than 100,000 acute and critical care nurses nationwide. AACN also honors awardees at the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families.

To learn more about the Beacon Award for Excellence, visit: www.aacn.org/beacon

To learn more about the St. Peter’s Hospital NICU, visit: http://www.sphcs.org/neonatalintensivecareunit