Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach's designated with Magnet recognition

LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 4, 2013 -- Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach have achieved Magnet^® recognition as a reflection of its nursing professionalism, teamwork and superiority in patient care. Magnet recognition is determined by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program^®, which ensures that rigorous standards for nursing excellence are met. With this credential, Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's join the Magnet community -- a select group of 395 health care organizations out of nearly 6,000 U.S. healthcare organizations internationally.

"Magnet recognition provides our community with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of patient care," says Judy Fix, RN, MSN, SVP, chief nursing officer, Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's. "Achieving Magnet recognition reinforces the culture of excellence that is a cornerstone of how we serve our community. It also is the tangible evidence of our nurses' commitment to providing the very best patient and family centered care to our community, of which we are extremely proud."

Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's are the first hospitals in Long Beach to achieve the Magnet designation, and one of only four in Los Angeles to be honored by the Magnet Recognition Program^®.

Magnet recognition has become the gold standard for nursing excellence and is taken into consideration when the public judges health care organizations. In fact,U.S. News & World Report's annual showcase of "America's Best Hospitals" includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care. To achieve Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. The process begins with the submission of an electronic application, followed by written documentation demonstrating qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding patient care and outcomes. If scores from the written documentation fall within a range of excellence, an on-site visit will occur to thoroughly assess the applicant. After this rigorous on-site review process, the Commission on Magnet will review the completed appraisal report and vote to determine whether Magnet recognition will be granted.

In particular, the Magnet model is designed to provide a framework for nursing practice, research, and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC can assess applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization's nursing excellence. The foundation of this model is composed of various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care.

Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's were recognized as exceeding in eight areas – going beyond the standards set by ANCC. One area where Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's were recognized was the ability of board members, executive leaders and the chief nursing officer's sound leadership and ability to articulate the organization's mission of improving the health and well-being of its patients. Board members and executive leaders were in tune with patients and quality care standards. Value-based programs such as diabetes, sickle-cell disease and asthma, specific to the Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's communities, were acknowledged. Another area the hospitals surpassed the standards was how input from direct-care nurses was used to improve the work environment by the innovative implantation of a nurse evaluator role. This role resulted in reduced surgical cancelations and improved the safety and care of patients.

Programs that improved hospitalization for patients and families such as child life, nurse navigators, pharmacy and the stroke program also were recognized. Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's were recognized for the advancement of nurses academically, with an overall commitment to education.

Research shows there are clear benefits to hospitals that achieve Magnet status and to the communities they serve including consumer confidence, recruitment and retention, and maintaining positive patient outcomes. The designation is granted for four years, during which time the ANCC monitors facilities to ensure high standards of care remain intact.

"I would like to recognize the amazing work, determination and effort of our nursing department who worked tirelessly on our journey to excellence," says Diana Hendel, PharmD, CEO, Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's. "The collaboration of all hospital employees makes it possible for nurses to provide the best care that leads to best outcomes -- and the Magnet designation."

About Long Beach Memorial:

Named among the top 12 hospitals in the Los Angeles Metro area by U.S. News and World Report, Long Beach Memorial has been providing compassionate care with the latest state-of-the-art technology for more than 100 years. Long Beach Memorial is the region's first choice for comprehensive care in virtually every medical and surgical specialty. Long Beach Memorial is a leader in new technology, being one of only three hospitals in Calif. with a 320 Slice CT Scanner and preventative technology and programs such as the Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscope (ENB™) and the Division of Interventional Neuroradiology. Centers of Excellence include the MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute, the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute, the MemorialCare Rehabilitation Institute, the MemorialCare Orthopedic Institute, the MemorialCare Neuroscience Institute, MemorialCare Joint Replacement Center, Stroke Program and the Emergency Department and Trauma Center. Visit MemorialCare.org/Long_Beach, like us on Facebook.com/LongBeachMemorial and follow us at Twitter.com/LongBeachMMC.

About Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach:

Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, part of the MemorialCare Health System, provides specialized pediatric care for children and young adults, with conditions ranging from common to complex - as well as maternity care for expectant mothers - all under one roof. Only five percent of all hospitals are children's hospitals, making them unique not only to children's health care needs in the community, but across the region.  Miller Children's is one of only eight free-standing children's hospitals in California - treating more than 14,000 children each year - and has become a regional pediatric destination for more than 84,000 children, who need specialized care in the outpatient specialty and satellite centers. Miller Children's recently completed a major expansion project to expand the pediatric cancer center, neonatal intensive care unit and the MemorialCare Center for Women. Visit MillerChildrens.org, like us on Facebook.com/MillerChildrensHospital and follow us atTwitter.com/MillerChildrens.

About the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program^®

The Magnet Recognition Program^® administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world, recognizes healthcare organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program^® serves as the gold standard for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program^® and current statistics, visit www.nursecredentialing.org/magnet.