Heart and Vascular ICU at Miami Valley Hospital Earns Excellence Award

DAYTON, Ohio (December 17, 2018) – The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has recognized the Heart and Vascular Intensive Care Unit at Miami Valley Hospital with a third consecutive silver Beacon Award for Excellence.

The Heart and Vascular ICU at Miami Valley Hospital remains the only unit in Dayton to earn this national three-year award with gold, silver, and bronze designations. The unit, which first received the award in 2012, is also the only cardiovascular ICU in Ohio to earn a Beacon Award for Excellence, and one of only 30 cardiovascular ICUs in the country to earn a silver Beacon Award for Excellence.

“We are tremendously proud of our Heart and Vascular Intensive Care Unit at Miami Valley Hospital for earning its third Beacon Award for Excellence,” said Peggy Mark, chief nursing officer at Premier Health. “This accomplishment demonstrates our staff’s commitment to excellence and desire to provide the best possible care to our patients and their families, including those with the most critical medical needs.” 

The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with the AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards, according to the association. Units that achieve this award meet national criteria consistent with Magnet recognition and other national quality awards. Miami Valley Hospital first earned Magnet status for nursing excellence in 2004 and continues to maintain that designation.

AACN President Clareen Wiencek, RN, PhD, ACNP, ACHPN, applauded the commitment of the Heart and Vascular ICU caregivers at Miami Valley Hospital for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence. “The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in stellar units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes,” she said. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”

The silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by the Heart and Vascular ICU at Miami Valley Hospital signifies continuous learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. The unit was found to have met the following evidence-based criteria:

  • Leadership structures and systems 
  • Appropriate staffing and staff engagement
  • Effective communication, knowledge management, learning, and development
  • Evidence-based practice and processes
  • Outcome measurement

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