Holy Cross Hospital Surgical Intensive Care Unit-Neuro Critical Care Unit Receives Excellence Award

Holy Cross Hospital's Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)/Neuro Critical Care Unit (NCCU) has been awarded a bronze-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). The Beacon Award reflects the team's success in improving patient outcomes and aligning practices with AACN's six rigorous Healthy Work Environment standards in the following five categories:

• Leadership structures and systems
• Appropriate staffing and staff engagement
• Effective communication, knowledge management, learning and development
• Evidence-based practice and processes
• Outcome measurement

"Holy Cross Hospital is proud and honored to receive this award," said Holy Cross Hospital President, Louis A. Damiano, MD. "I applaud members of the SICU/NCCU team for working together to consistently meet high standards of patient care, safety and satisfaction."

According to AACN, units that earn this three-year designation meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award. Only nine Beacon units are in the state of Maryland

AACN will honor the SICU/NCCU team and other Beacon Award for Excellence recipients at the National Teaching Institute (NTI) & Critical Care Exposition in May 2019 in Orlando, Fla.