OSF is ‘magnet hospital’ due to nursing excellence
OSF SAINT FRANCIS MEDICAL CENTER
RE-DESIGNATED MAGNET HOSPITAL IN RECOGNITION
OF NURSING EXCELLENCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shelli Dankoff/Media Relations Specialist
(March 16, 2009) – The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program® for excellence in nursing services has once again designated OSF Saint Francis Medical Center as a Magnet hospital.
““This was a unanimous decision of the Magnet commission; it sounds like you have a wonderful hospital,” said Gail Wolf, head of the Magnet commission during a congratulatory phone call to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center staff. “You just got into the two-percent club because only two percent of the hospitals in the country have been able to do what you’ve done and get re-designated. Very few organizations are as well-developed as yours,” Wolf added.
“It’s a pretty elite group, and we really do have reason to be proud,” said Keith Steffen, President and CEO. “Magnet has become well-embedded in our culture. This is how we provide nursing care at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Illinois. We have always been proud of our nursing excellence and nursing care, but it means a lot when an outside organization validates that.”
According to the ANCC, the leading nursing credentialing organization in the United States, Magnet designation is widely accepted as the gold standard of patient care. The Magnet Recognition Program recognizes excellence and professionalism in nursing. Applicants undergo an extensive evaluation, and members who are awarded Magnet status must continue to maintain rigorous standards as part of their four-year designation. To reapply for and receive Magnet status for an additional four years is confirmation of the hospital’s resolve to deliver the highest level of care in nursing today.
Research shows that Magnet hospitals are more effective at attracting and keeping quality nurses.
“It really takes a team, from the housekeepers to the physicians; each caregiver partner supports our excellent nursing care”, said Lori Wiegand, Chief Nursing Officer in congratulating her staff.
Chief Operating Officer Sue Wozniak concurred: “I had absolutely no doubt we were going to get this. We are fortunate to have the talent and commitment of all our staff. We tend to take our excellent nursing care for granted because it is so ingrained in our culture, and then when an outside organization like Magnet recognizes us, it makes us aware that we stand out.
