The Medical Center at Bowling Green’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit receives Beacon Award for Excellence
The Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at The Medical Center at Bowling Green has received a Silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). The Medical Center at Bowling Green’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit is one of only 10 units in the state to receive a Beacon Award.
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.
“We are so proud to have been awarded the AACN’s Beacon Award, because it recognizes our commitment to excellence in patient care, teamwork, and continuous improvement in critical care nursing,” said Brandy Villareal, Director of Cardiac & Orthopedic Services at The Medical Center at Bowling Green. “This prestigious award reflects our dedication to creating a positive and supportive work environment, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and quality. Earning the Beacon Award demonstrates our unit’s hard work, resilience, and passion for delivering exceptional care to our patients and their families.”
AACN President Jennifer Adamski, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, CCRN, FCCM, applauds the commitment of the caregivers working on the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at The Medical Centerat Bowling Greenfor working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence to achieve a Silverlevel designation. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other members of an 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,” said Adamski. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”
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.