American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recognizes the Neurosciences ICU at OHSU with gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence

National three-year award marks a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and achieving a healthy work environment

We are proud to announce that the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently conferred a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence on the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at OHSU – one of only four neuro ICUs in the country with this high distinction.

“Being recognized as a Beacon Gold unit, especially while working to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the team’s ongoing commitment to providing safe, patient-centered and evidence-based care to patients and families,” said Jeff P. Hofheins, BSN, RN Nurse Manager II, OHSU Neurosciences ICU.

Jeff P. Hofheins, Nurse Manager II, Lorin Daniels, Specialty Practice Leader and Michael Whitaker, Director of Critical Care at the OHSU Neurosciences ICU proudly pose with the unit’s AACN Beacon Silver and Gold Awards.

OHSU’s neurosciences ICU team includes neuro specialty RNs (or nurses), neurosurgeons, stroke neurologists, interventional neuroradiologists, neurointensivists, advanced practice providers (physician assistants and nurse practitioners), specialists and multidisciplinary support staff. The unit offers 24/7 neuromonitoring capability, including long-term video-EEG, intracranial pressure monitoring and brain oxygen level measuring.

This announcement also comes as we celebrated National Nurses Month in May – a month-long acknowledgement that allows for greater opportunities to promote understanding and appreciation of the invaluable contributions of our nursing staff.

The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — 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.

According to the AACN, the gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence 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:

  • Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
  • Effective Communication, Knowledge Management, and Learning and Development
  • Evidence-Based Practice and Processes
  • Leadership Structures and Systems
  • Outcome Measurement

Congratulations to the team on this incredible honor!

About the author

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Clarissa Fong

Clarissa Fong is the Senior Social Media Strategist for the OHSU Brain Institute. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Connect with the team at socialmedia@ohsu.edu.

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One response to “American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recognizes the Neurosciences ICU at OHSU with gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence”

  1. Two Brain Surgeries 2010 and 2019 and I received excellent care both times from the whole staff. Nurses, Doctors Housekeeping Techs. I always recommend OHSU.

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