The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children’s Nebraska has received a Gold-Level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), distinguishing the unit’s exceptional patient care and healthy work environments. It is one of just 13 NICUs nationwide to achieve the honor.
As the only Level IV NICU in Nebraska, Children’s offers the most advanced level of neonatal care available, complete with a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach.
The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with gold, silver or bronze designations meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
“The Gold-Level Beacon Award serves as a powerful reminder of our team’s unwavering commitment to exceptional patient- and family-centered care,” says Anne Dey, director of intensive care at Children’s Nebraska. “We are beyond proud of our team’s expertise and dedication to improving the life of every child.”
The gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by the NICU team at Children’s 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.
“We’re honored to be a leader in neonatal medicine across the country and will only continue to improve and advance our work for the patients and families we serve,” says Nicole Birge, MD, medical director of the NICU at Children’s Nebraska. “This is a testament to our team’s passion, dedication and unparalleled collaboration – and we won’t stop here.”
