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Read MoreVineland, NJ (December 2, 2024) – Inspira Health is proud to announce that the Deborah F. Sager Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Inspira Medical Center Vineland has been awarded a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
Inspira Health has had multiple critical care units across its network recognized at a national level with six Beacon Awards since 2009. This latest achievement underscores Inspira's ongoing dedication to delivering a superior patient experience and reinforces its position as a leader in health care across South Jersey.
“Achieving the gold-level Beacon Award reflects the exceptional teamwork and leadership within our Deborah F. Sager NICU at Inspira Vineland,” says Dawn Goffredo, M.S.N., R.N.C., FABC, Assistant Vice President of Maternal Child Health Services, Inspira Health. “I am in awe of our nurses’ unwavering drive to exceed national industry standards and foster a culture of excellence and innovation. Their dedication has been instrumental in improving patient outcomes and experiences for our youngest patients and their families at Vineland.”
The Lewis family of Bridgeton experienced the compassionate and sophisticated care firsthand when their daughter Laurenea was born at just 23 weeks and 3 days gestational age. Little Laurenea weighed 1 lb. 2 oz. and would spend 93 days in the Deborah F. Sager NICU.
“The NICU nurses and doctors were amazing. It was my first time with a baby in the NICU and they communicated with us all the time,” said Shimeka Lewis. “They encouraged us and took such great care of Laurenea. They treated her as if she was one of their own children. Sometimes doctors even came in and sat down and just talked with us. That helped.”
Today, at two years old and 24 lbs., Laurenea is meeting her milestones and amazing everyone who knows her story. She’s starting to talk in full sentences, runs and runs, and loves to sing gospel songs, says Shimeka. And according to her father, Eric Lewis, Laurenea likes to “tear up” the house. “If you’re cleaning up, she’s right behind you pulling everything she wants right back out.”
The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — celebrates care teams who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year award with gold distinction meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
“This award recognizes care teams in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes,” says AACN President Jennifer Adamski, D.N.P., A.P.R.N., ACNP-BC, C.C.R.N., FCCM. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”
The gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence signifies an effective and systematic approach to policies, procedures and processes that include engagement of staff and key stakeholders; fact-based evaluation strategies for continuous process improvement; and performance measures that meet or exceed relevant benchmarks. Inspira Medical Center Vineland earned a gold award by meeting the following evidence-based Beacon Award for Excellence criteria and exceeding benchmarks:
Leadership Structures and Systems
Evidence-Based Practices and Processes
Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
Effective Communication, Knowledge Management, and Learning and Development
About Inspira Health
Inspira Health is a charitable nonprofit health care organization committed to providing an exceptional experience for patients and their loved ones. Tracing its roots to 1899, the system comprises four hospitals, two comprehensive cancer centers, nine multi-specialty health centers and locations throughout South Jersey.
Inspira’s surgical teams provide a wide array of innovative robotic and minimally invasive surgeries, including nationally accredited bariatric services at Inspira Medical Centers Mullica Hill and Vineland. In partnership with Cooper University Health Care, Inspira provides comprehensive neuroscience and cardiology services throughout the region.
Inspira’s extensive ambulatory services include urgent care; ambulatory surgery centers; physical and occupational therapy; comprehensive behavioral health; primary and specialty physician practices; and extensive outpatient imaging in partnership with Atlantic Medical Imaging (AMI). Inspira EMS covers communities throughout South Jersey. Inspira’s Population Health and Community Impact Departments address social drivers of health that impact individuals and families in our region.
Inspira’s more than 1,400 physicians and advanced practice providers, and 8,000 employees, provide evidence-based care to help each patient achieve the best possible outcome. As a regional leader in physician training, Inspira Health educates and provides extensive clinical opportunities for more than 280 medical residents and fellows in 16 nationally accredited programs. Accredited by DNV Healthcare and committed to the principles of high reliability, Inspira Health is focused on clinical excellence and patient safety. For more information about Inspira Health, visit https://www.InspiraHealthNetwork.org or call 1-800-INSPIRA.
About the Beacon Award for Excellence
Established in 2003, the Beacon Award for Excellence offers a road map to help guide exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. U.S. and Canadian units where patients receive their principal nursing care after hospital admission qualify for this excellence award. Units that receive the Beacon Award for Excellence meet criteria in six 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. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call (800) 899-2226.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and includes more than 200 chapters in the United States. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. To learn more about AACN, visit www.aacn.org, connect with the organization on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aacnface or follow AACN on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aacnme.
