2013 Lantern Award Recipients: Nine U.S. Emergency Departments Recognized by Emergency Nurses Association for Supporting Excellence in Nursing Practice, Providing Exceptional Care

2013 Lantern Award Recipients Demonstrate Commitment to Excellence, Exemplary Performance, and Innovative Practices

DES PLAINES, Ill., Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) announced the recipients of the Association's Annual Lantern Awards. The awards recognize emergency departments that exemplify exceptional practice and innovative performance in the core areas of leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research. ENA is a global membership organization of more than 40,000 emergency nurses.

The Lantern Award designation recognizes an emergency department's commitment to quality, safety, a healthy work environment, and innovation in nursing practice and emergency care. Emergency departments that receive the Lantern Award designation exemplify a culture of excellence in emergency care, including strong leadership, practice credibility, and workplace recognition. To qualify for the Lantern Award, an emergency department applicant must complete a comprehensive application that includes performance metrics, narratives, and exemplar responses. Each application is evaluated through a blinded process by a team of reviewers. 

"Each Lantern Award hospital shares the same commitment to facilitating excellence in emergency nursing practice, which has been demonstrated through the exemplary care provided in their emergency departments," said 2013 ENA President, JoAnn Lazarus, MSN, RN, CEN. "The Lantern Awards are part of the Emergency Nurses Association's effort to promote nursing excellence and to recognize hospitals whose emergency departments demonstrate exceptional performance, providing the highest quality care to patients. This year, only nine emergency department applicants met the criteria for Lantern Award designation. They can be very proud of this prestigious designation." 

2013 Lantern Award recipients:  

• Akron General Medical Center Emergency Department (Akron, OH)
• Bethesda North Hospital Emergency Department (Cincinnati, OH)
• Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital Emergency Department (Richmond, VA)
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Emergency Department, Egleston Campus (Atlanta, GA)
• Children's Hospital Los Angeles Emergency Department & Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center (Los Angeles, CA)
• The Medical Center of Aurora Emergency Department (Aurora, CO)
• OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Emergency Department (Peoria, IL)
• St. Anthony Hospital Emergency Department (Lakewood, CO)
• Virginia Hospital Center Emergency Department (Arlington, VA)

The Lantern Award is named in honor of Florence Nightingale, who is credited with changing nursing from an untrained job to a skilled, science-based profession. She is referred to as the "Lady of the Lamp" for her actions during the Crimean War when she worked deep into the night, bringing a lantern with her as she tended to wounded British soldiers as they slept. 

About the Emergency Nurses Association:
ENA, which has more than 40,000 members worldwide, is the only professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing and emergency care through advocacy, expertise, innovation and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA develops and disseminates education and practice standards and guidelines, and affords consultation to both private and public entities regarding emergency nurses and their practice. Additional information is available at ENA's Web site, www.ena.org.

SOURCE Emergency Nurses Association