CHOC CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL EARNS BEACON AWARD FOR CRITICAL CARE EXCELLENCE

December 19, 2008

CHOC Children’s Hospital is proud to announce that its Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) has received the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence, an award given by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).  CHOC’s PICU is the first pediatric unit in the nation to be recognized with the Beacon Award, representing extraordinary commitment to high-quality critical care standards and dedication to the exceptional care of patients and their families.

As a Beacon Award recipient, CHOC’s PICU succeeded in the following areas, as measured against evidence-based national criteria:

• Recruitment and retention
• Education, training and mentoring
• Research and evidence-based practice
• Patient outcomes
• Leadership and organization ethics
• Healing environment

AACN applauds the efforts and success of the PICU at CHOC Children’s Hospital, which will now serve as a beacon for other hospitals and healthcare facilities.

About AACN: The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses. Its international headquarters are located in Aliso Viejo, California. Founded in 1969, the Association has more than 240 chapters worldwide and is working toward a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families, where acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. Additional information about AACN is available online at www.aacn.org or by calling (800) 899-2226.

CHOC Children's is exclusively committed to the health and well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and research that brings advanced treatment to pediatric patients. Affiliated with the University of California, Irvine, CHOC’s regional healthcare network includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, several primary and specialty care clinics, a pediatric residency program, and four centers of excellence - The CHOC Children’s Heart, Cancer, Neuroscience, and Orthopaedic Institutes.

CHOC is one of only eight children’s hospitals in the nation named a “2009 Leapfrog Top Hospital.” CHOC earned the Silver Level CAPE Award from the California Council of Excellence, the only children’s hospital in California to ever earn this distinction, and was awarded Magnet designation, the highest honor bestowed to hospitals for nursing excellence.  Recognized for extraordinary commitment to high-quality critical care standards, CHOC is the first children’s hospital in the United States to earn the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence.

 

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Media Contact:
Denise Almazan, Director of Public Relations
phone: (714) 532-8680
email: dalmazan@choc.org

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