2 Long Island hospitals recognized for outstanding emergency rooms

Two Long Island hospitals have been recognized for their outstanding emergency departments by the Emergency Nurses Association.

The Lantern Awards honor emergency departments for their leadership, practices, education and advocacy that result in improved patient care and staff well-being, according to Chris Dellinger, a registered nurse and the immediate past president of the ENA. This year, Northwell’s Huntington Hospital and Catholic Health’s St. Joseph Hospital were among 96 hospitals around the world to receive Lantern Awards.

"The emergency department is the front door of the hospital and, for patients, usually one of the worst days of their lives," Dellinger, who is a nurse at Camden Clark Medical Center in West Virginia, said. "The nurses and physicians have to take care of neonatal [patients] up to geriatric and everything in between. You have to be on your toes from a clinical perspective."

Hospitals are given a Lantern Award for three years, Dellinger said. Then they can reapply.

"I’ve always known that our ED nurses are special — compassionate, dedicated and deeply committed — but this recognition further affirms that we have top-notch professionals caring for our community," said St. Joseph Hospital’s emergency department nursing director, Mavis Aguilar, in a statement. "This award is a testament to their unwavering commitment to our patients, visitors, and to one another. I couldn’t be more proud to be part of this team."

The Lantern Award application includes questions that focus on the emergency department’s performance and outcome metrics, as well as more holistic questions that delve into the department's practices and require "brief narratives or longer descriptive exemplars that highlight an emergency department’s excellence and innovation," according to the Emergency Nurses Association’s website.

"Our emergency nurses are the backbone of high-quality, responsive care in moments when patients need it most," said Maureen White, chief nursing officer of Northwell, in a news release. "This recognition speaks volumes about their expertise, compassion and relentless commitment to innovation and safety." 

Emergency departments should have good communication between patients and staff, specialty doctors on the floor or on-call and privacy for patients, said Ilene Corina, president of Pulse Center for Patient Safety Education & Advocacy. "Outcomes are important but patient safety while in the ER is also important," she said.

Wendy Darwell, the president of the Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York State, told Newsday in an email that "hospital emergency departments are among the most challenging arenas in healthcare. There’s no way to predict the type and complexity of cases that will come through the doors from minute to minute. Staff must be ready for anything."