October 17, 2024 - Madera, CA - Valley Children’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to exceptional patient care and an innovative and nurturing work environment by earning the prestigious silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). This national honor, awarded to Valley Children’s for the fifth time, celebrates the PICU’s dedication to delivering top-tier care and achieving outstanding patient outcomes.
“Our PICU team is dedicated to providing exceptional, complex care to some of the most critically ill children, and this award reflects the incredible hard work, commitment and passion they bring to Valley Children’s every day,” said Valley Children’s Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer Vicky Tilton. “Their unwavering efforts to deliver the highest level of expertise and compassion to our patients and their families, while also cultivating a positive and supportive environment for one another, are truly inspiring and deserving of this recognition.”
“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes,” emphasized AACN President Jennifer Adamski. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”
This nationally acclaimed three-year designation earned by the PICU at Valley Children’s signifies an effective approach to policies, procedures and processes that includes engagement of staff and key stakeholders. The unit has evaluation and improvement strategies in place and good performance measures when compared to relevant benchmarks. Valley Children’s PICU earned its silver award by meeting the following evidence-based Beacon Award for Excellence criteria:
- Leadership
- Structures and Systems
- Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
- Effective Communication, Knowledge Management and Learning and Development
- Evidence-Based Practice and Processes
- Outcome Measurement
“Putting patients and their families first while fostering a positive and collaborative work environment is the culture of our remarkable unit,” said Valley Children’s PICU Medical Director Dr. Shaghig Kouyoumjian. "Together, we are truly passionate about delivering the best care to our critically ill patients, and this award reflects our unwavering commitment and devotion to those kids we are so privileged to serve."
This is the latest national recognition for Valley Children’s, which was recently ranked as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals in three pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. Earlier this year, Valley Children’s was recognized by Solutions for Patient Safety for outstanding work in pediatric patient safety for the third consecutive year, and as a Top Place to Work in Healthcare by Becker’s for the fourth time for its unwavering commitment to employee well-being, satisfaction and fulfillment. Valley Children’s was also the first pediatric hospital west of the Rockies to receive the Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), with five consecutive designations.
Source: Valley Children's Healthcare, Madera, CA.
