Rhode Island Hospital has again earned a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) for its Coronary Care Unit (CCU). The national designation recognizes performance in the areas of optimal patient outcomes, a healthy nursing work environment and exceptional nursing care. This marks the second submission for Rhode Island Hospital’s CCU and its second consecutive Beacon Award for Excellence.
“This is an incredible achievement for our dedicated CCU team here at Rhode Island Hospital. I’m proud to say that it is a reflection of the outstanding collaborative care that is provided to our patients and families every day,” said Sarah Frost, Chief of Hospital Operations and President of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s.
The Beacon Award for Excellence 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.
Rhode Island Hospital’s CCU, part of the Hospital’s intensive care services, is a medical cardiac critical care unit providing care for critically ill patients with acute and advanced cardiovascular conditions, including patients who are pre-operative and medically optimized prior to surgery.
Conditions treated in the CCU include, but are not limited to:
• Acute coronary syndromes (STEMI, NSTEMI, unstable angina)
• Cardiogenic shock
• Advanced and acute decompensated heart failure
• Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias
• Pre-operative cardiac patients requiring mechanical circulatory support, such as intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) therapy
• Post–cardiac arrest care, including targeted temperature management
• Patients requiring advanced hemodynamic monitoring and continuous vasoactive infusions