Orange Coast Medical Center Receives National Silver-Level Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Intensive Care Unit at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center has been honored with the silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), recognizing the team's dedication to outstanding patient care.

"We are extremely grateful to have been recognized by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses for this prestigious award," says Annabelle Braun, chief nursing officer, MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center. "Caring for our community is our calling, and underscores Orange Coast Medical Center's relentless commitment to patient safety and family centered care. I'm extremely humble and proud of the outstanding dedication our Intensive Care Unit team displays every day."

The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve unit outcomes and align practices with AACN's six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that earn this annual award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence.

AACN President Jennifer Adamski, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, CCRN, FCCM, applauds the commitment of the caregivers at the Critical Care Unit at Orange Coast Medical Center for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence to achieve a silver-level designation. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other members of our exceptional community of nurses, who set the standard for optimal patient care.

"The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes. Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care," Adamski explains.

Orange Coast Medical Center highlights a strong commitment to quality care through effective policies, procedures and staff engagement. This recognition reflects the unit's dedication to continuous evaluation, improvement and performance excellence based on national benchmarks. Orange Coast Medical Center achieved this distinction by excelling in the following evidence-based Beacon for Excellence criteria: patient outcomes, nursing workforce and work environment.

Many units provide exceptional patient care however Beacon Awarded units distinguish themselves by excelling in many areas demonstrated in their application. Through participation in the Beacon Award Program units can compare and reflect on their performance compared to global applicants.

"We recognize that having a loved one in the intensive care unit can be an incredibly stressful experience," says Braun. "Our dedication lies in making families feel involved, supported, and assured of the exceptional care we are giving to their loved ones."

About MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center:
Orange Coast Memorial is a member of the not-for-profit MemorialCare Health System, an integrated health care delivery system. Orange Coast is the only nonprofit hospital in Fountain Valley. Orange Coast Medical Center fulfills its community's health care needs with innovation and a commitment to excellence, all delivered in a beautiful setting. Centers of Excellence include Institutes for Cancer, Cardiac and Vascular Disease and Centers of Excellence in Childbirth, Digestive Care, Joint Replacement, Spine Health, Surgical Weight Loss, and more. It is also the recipient of the prestigious Magnet Status for Nursing Excellence. Orange Coast provides compassionate care and personalized service to our community. Orange Coast was voted a Top Workplace and the No. 1 Best Hospital in Orange County by the readers of the Orange County Register.

About the Beacon Award for Excellence: Established in 2003, the Beacon Award for Excellence offers a road map to help guide exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. U.S. and Canadian units where patients receive their principal nursing care after hospital admission qualify for this excellence award. Units that receive the Beacon Award for Excellence meet criteria in six categories: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management, and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call 800-899-2226.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and includes more than 200 chapters in the United States. 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. To learn more about AACN, visit www.aacn.org, connect with the organization on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aacnface or follow AACN on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aacnme.

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SOURCE MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center