Stony Brook University Hospital’s Neurocritical Care Unit (NCCU) has received the Silver Beacon Award of Excellence (2024-2027) from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). This three-year award recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN's six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Stony Brook is one of only five NCCUs in New York State to receive a Beacon Award of Excellence.
“This achievement recognizes the exemplary efforts of our NCCU nursing staff to provide excellent, safe, patient-centered care to patients and their families,” said Carolyn Santora, MS, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at Stony Brook University Hospital. “Those that receive care here at Stony Brook can expect to experience the highest level of nursing care from a group of exceptional healthcare professionals.”
Established in 2003, AACN's Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes top hospital units that meet standards of excellence in recruitment and retention; education, training and mentoring; research and evidence-based practice; patient outcomes; leadership and organizational ethics; and creation of a healthy work environment. Units that achieve this three-year award meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
In 2024, the nursing team was also recognized for its excellence in emergency patient care. SBUH’s Emergency Department was selected as a recipient of the Emergency Nurses Association’s (ENA) 2024 Lantern Award for demonstrating excellence in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research performance.
About Stony Brook University Hospital:
Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) is Long Island’s premier academic health center. With 624 beds, SBUH serves as the region’s only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the Stony Brook University Heart Institute, Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute. SBUH also encompasses Suffolk County’s only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-designated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It is home of the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sbuh.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses:
For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization's vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world's largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.