Catholic Health’s St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center has earned Magnet status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for the fifth time. The ANCC unanimously decided to award Magnet with Distinction, an honor achieved by no other hospital in the state, and only 23 organizations nationwide.
Magnet designation is the highest national recognition for excellence in professional nursing practice. It reflects outstanding clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and a culture of professionalism and collaboration. St. Francis Hospital is one of just 47 Magnet-designated hospitals in the state.
Nationally, fewer than 9.8% of hospitals hold this designation, and less than 2% have earned it five times. According to the ANCC, Magnet-recognized facilities deliver higher-quality care, offer safer work environments, and experience greater satisfaction among both patients and staff.
“This repeated Magnet recognition is a reflection of our nursing staff’s unwavering commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to our community,” said St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center President Charles Lucore, MD. “This fifth designation, with distinction, underscores the foundation of excellence at St. Francis that drives our employees to place the patient at the center of all operations. We are deeply honored for this recognition from the ANCC and extremely proud of our nurses for this incredible achievement.”
The designation came a few months after the Flower Hill Hospital first presented plans to modernize its facilities, such as building more private patient rooms and decreasing traffic and congestion at the hospital.
To achieve Magnet status, the ANCC evaluated St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center with its Magnet model, which provides a framework for gauging the quality of nursing practice, research and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC evaluates various elements deemed essential to nursing excellence, including nursing leadership, collaboration across specialties, patient satisfaction and outcomes, and a hospital’s overall commitment to constantly improving the quality and delivery of care.
“Every day, our Catholic Health nurses lead the way, caring for our patients with compassion and expertise. Magnet designation is the ultimate credential for high quality nursing care,” said Catholic Health’s Chief Nursing Officer Gara Edelstein. “This top designation is the most recent in an impressive list of accolades that our St. Francis Hospital nurses have achieved.”
St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center’s Magnet recognition with ongoing review is valid for four years. This fifth designation is the latest of numerous accolades earned by the hospital’s nursing staff, including Beacon, Lantern and Prism awards.
