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For Immediate Release
4/16/2008
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Sinai Hospital of Baltimore received the American Nurses Credentialing
Center's highest honor for nursing excellence, making it the first and only
community/teaching hospital in Maryland to carry the elite "Magnet" designation.
After an intense application and review process, Sinai Hospital joins a
distinguished list of Magnet hospitals nationwide, including Duke University
Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina; Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in
Rochester, Minnesota; and the Cleveland Clinic. The Magnet Recognition Program®
designation is held by only 287 hospitals of the more than 6,000 eligible health
care organizations in the country.
"Sinai has a long history of supporting and valuing
nursing excellence, and Magnet recognition has been a goal of ours for several
years," said Diane Johnson, chief nursing officer of Sinai Hospital. "Reaching this goal required teamwork and collaboration among all disciplines.
It demonstrates Sinai's commitment to creating and sustaining a culture of nursing excellence
along with our dedication to being the best place to work,
practice medicine and receive care."
The Magnet Recognition Program®, developed in 1990 by the American Nurses
Credentialing Center, recognizes excellence in quality patient care, nursing
leadership and innovations in professional nursing practice. Additionally,
Magnet hospitals demonstrate adherence to standards for improving the quality of
patient care, leadership of the nurse executive in supporting professional
development of every nurse, and incorporating cultural and ethnic diversity of
patients and their families.
To earn the designation, nurses from Sinai Hospital submitted more than 4,000
pages of documentation supported by evidence, illustrating how the hospital
values its nurses, provides opportunity for growth and delivers high-quality
care for its patients. The written submission was then validated by a site visit
in early February.
During the Magnet appraisers' four-day site visit to Sinai Hospital, more
than 400 employees including bedside nurses, physicians, hospital executives and
nurse administrators were interviewed to assess the hospital's nursing services
and clinical outcomes. The hospital was also evaluated on a number of quality
indicators, such as total nursing care hours provided, the mix of registered
nurses and support staff that provide patient care, as well as how often
patients suffer falls and pressure ulcers.
"I'm very proud of the entire nursing team at Sinai for
earning this gold-standard in nursing excellence," said Neil Meltzer, president
and COO of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. "The Magnet hospital designation
confirms not only mine, but also the entire Sinai Hospital administrative and medical staff's belief in the skill, compassion and excellence of our nurses
and everyone who works alongside them. This proves that excellent patient
care is a team effort."
Independently sponsored research shows that there is a direct link between
the culture at Magnet hospitals and providing the best patient care possible.
Magnet hospitals have lower mortality rates, enjoy increased nurse retention and
recruitment rates, and report higher rates of job satisfaction among nurses. The
Magnet designation also is a highly prized recruitment tool in this era of
nursing shortages.
"The nation's best nurses seek out Magnet hospitals for employment because
they know that the standard of care and professionalism is going to be of the
highest caliber," Johnson added.
The Magnet recognition status is valid for a four-year period, at which time
Sinai Hospital will reapply.
Sinai Hospital is a member of LifeBridge Health, a regional health
organization that includes Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center
and Hospital, Jewish Convalescent & Nursing Home, and related subsidiaries
and affiliates.
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