Beacon Award Recognizes Nursing Excellence For Sickest Patients in the Hospital

PATERSON, NJ (June 1, 2024) – St. Joseph’s Health is proud to announce that the dedicated team of nurses in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, have been recognized with the Beacon Gold Award, a national recognition of exceptional patient care given by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). This 3-year award honors unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and achieve greater overall patient satisfaction.

“The most critically ill patients require dedicated, award-winning nurses,” said Deborah Smith, RN, Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive for St. Joseph’s Health. “Our intensive care team has worked tremendously to provide around-the-clock, evidence-based care for our patients who are experiencing critical illnesses. We are thrilled that they have achieved the highest level of excellence for our patients.”

Patients in the Medical ICU are among the most ill in the hospital, with conditions such as pneumonia, renal failure, metabolic disorders, diabetic coma, stroke, or cancer patients not responding to treatment. St. Joseph’s Medical Intensive Care Unit achieved this award by developing interdisciplinary teams that create an individual treatment plan for each patient.  Physicians are stationed in the unit 24 hours a day, working closely with nurses to ensure patients are given the most advanced treatments while taking steps to prevent infections and other complications, Smith said.

The unit earned the award by meeting national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.

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

The gold-level award signifies the unit met the necessary criteria in five categories: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management, and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement.

This is the second Beacon Gold award for St. Joseph’s Health. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit had also been awarded gold-level recognition for its high standard of care provided to patients ages birth to 21. Prior to the gold award for the Medical ICU, the unit had achieved silver recognition.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our nursing team for this remarkable achievement,” said Tan Chowdhury, Nursing Director for Critical Care, St. Joseph’s Health. “What this team has achieved for our patients – through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond – is simply outstanding.”

St. Joseph’s Health has a proud history of nursing excellence. St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, which includes St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, has achieved ANCC Magnet® designation six consecutive times, an accolade that just a handful of hospitals worldwide have achieved. St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center has been designated a Pathway to Excellence® organization by the ANCC, highlighting a culture of nursing excellence. St. Joseph’s joins a premier group of organizations, as one of just 200 Pathway organizations worldwide.