Loma Linda University Medical Center recently earned Magnet Recognition as part of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program. 

Helen Staples-Evans, DNP, RN, NE-BC, senior vice president of care services and chief nursing officer at Loma Linda University Medical Center, thanked the ANCC for their commitment to excellence and for the recognition, but attributes the honor to the nursing staff.

“Today is a celebration about each one of our nurses. I hope you will pause and reflect on the incredible work that you do each day,” Staples-Evans said. “We have long prided ourselves on the level of care here, but achieving magnet publicly recognizes the excellent patient care that is delivered by some of the best nurses in the world.”

The voluntary credentialing program for hospitals recognizes excellence in nursing and is the highest honor a healthcare organization can receive for professional nursing practice. This is the first time the 371-bed hospital has received the prestigious distinction, which recognizes organizations where nursing strategic goals are aligned to improve patient outcomes. Only 9% of the more than 6,000 healthcare organizations in the United States have been evaluated as worthy of this designation.

After surveying the Medical Center April 6 – 8, the ANCC Commission on Magnet Recognition voted unanimously on the hospital’s designation. While most hospitals seeking Magnet status spend five to seven years doing so, the Medical Center’s application was completed in less than three years.

“In less than three years’ time, start to finish, we achieved what we set out to do. With each challenge along the way, teamwork and problem solving never wavered; with each milestone achieved, genuine joy and appreciation echoed throughout our hospital walls; and in the face of a pandemic, our nurses bonded through determination, courage, agility and togetherness to reach the finish line. I could not be prouder of them or of this accomplishment,” Staples-Evans said.

Loma Linda University Medical Center also earned an exemplar on its appraisal, highlighting how nurses and interdisciplinary colleagues ensure that patients are seen and provided treatment that exceed the national benchmarks for all eight quarters of data submitted.

Kerry Heinrich, CEO of Loma Linda University Health hospitals, said this designation honors the entire nursing team that comes to work every day focused on doing their very best for each of their patients.

“I have personally seen the efforts our nurses demonstrate every day to meet the healthcare needs of the people of this community,” Heinrich said. “Our nurses collaborate and innovate in ways that have resulted in numerous improvements to how we deliver care and to improve patient satisfaction. It’s those efforts and so many more that proved to the Magnet evaluation team that our nurses’ professionalism and superior patient outcomes were deserving of the Magnet designation.

This article was originally published on the Loma Linda University Health news site