Emergency Department Recognized for Excellence

St. Joseph’s University Medical Center Emergency Department Recognized Nationally for Excellence

The St. Joseph’s University Medical Center Emergency Department, Paterson, NJ, a member of St. Joseph’s Health, has been honored by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) as one of 11 select emergency departments nationwide to receive the association’s prestigious 2016 Lantern Award™. The Emergency Nurses Association bestows the Lantern Award to emergency departments that exemplify exceptional practice and innovative performance in the core areas of nursing leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research.

“St. Joseph’s is honored to be selected as a 2016 recipient of the Emergency Nurses Association Lantern Award,” said Kevin Slavin, President and CEO at St. Joseph’s Health. “Our Emergency Department Nursing team provides the highest standard of care and is committed to delivering exceptional quality for every patient. This recognition is a tribute to the entire team for their dedication to evidence-based medicine and to their relentless pursuit of achieving national benchmarks for excellence in emergency care.”

“I am so proud of our Emergency Department nurses for receiving this award. We, at the healthcare system, are well aware of their exceptional work and are happy they are being recognized nationally,” said Judy Padula, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at St. Joseph’s Health.

“The 2016 Lantern Award recipients have met a rigorous set of standards for excellence,” said ENA president Kathleen E. Carlson, MSN, RN, CEN, FAEN. “We look for the highest level of performance in emergency departments – emergency departments that go above and beyond to ensure quality safe practice and care for their patients. I congratulate our 2016 Lantern Award recipients for their high commitment to excellence.”

The Lantern Award™ is a visible symbol of an emergency department’s commitment to quality, presence of a healthy work environment and accomplishment in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into emergency care. All emergency departments are eligible to apply for the Lantern Award, but those selected must meet the highest excellence standards.

Emergency department patients and their families seek quick access, meaningful interactions with the health care team and a coordinated plan. The Lantern Award serves as a visible symbol to patients that excellence is valued and that exceptional care is provided in the recipient’s emergency department. It illuminates an emergency department’s commitment to quality, safety, presence of a healthy work environment and accomplishment in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into exceptional emergency care.

St. Joseph’s University Medical Center’s Emergency Department Nursing team is distinguished for such programs as PIVOT nursing, an expedited triage process that enables the Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Department to manage high volumes while maintaining door-to-doctor times within 15 minutes and for its many innovative programs including, Life Sustaining Management Alternatives (LSMA), an ED-based palliative care program; Alternatives to Opiates Program (ALTO); and the unique Senior Emergency Department (SrED). In addition, team work, shared governance and a culture of collaboration enable St. Joseph’s ED Magnet® Recognized Nurses to provide exceptional quality care with a special concern for the poor, vulnerable and underserved.

The Lantern Award is named in honor of Florence Nightingale, who is credited with changing nursing from an untrained job to a skilled, science-based profession. She is referred to as the “Lady of the Lamp” for her actions during the Crimean War when she worked deep into the night, bringing a lantern with her as she tended to wounded British soldiers as they slept.

About St. Joseph’s

St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, a member of St. Joseph’s Health is a nationally recognized major academic comprehensive health care organization sponsored by its founders, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth since 1867. To learn more about the spectrum of leading edge services and compassionate care available at St. Joseph’s, visit www.StJosephsHealth.org.