For Immediate Release
May 25, 2006
Contact: Michael Valentino
732-751-7538

JERSEY SHORE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER RECIEVES HIGHEST NURSING HONOR AGAIN!

Jersey Shore recertified once again as a Magnet hospital for Nursing Excellence

Neptune, NJ - Jersey Shore University Medical Center has received recertification once again as Magnet hospital for Nursing Excellence. In 1997, Jersey Shore became the 8th hospital in the nation to first receive the prestigious award which recognizing hospitals practicing the highest level of nursing quality and the university hospital was recertified in 2002. The designation is awarded to select hospitals following a thorough review of clinical practices, documentation, and performance data, as well as intensive onsite evaluations. The Magnet recertification is another recognition of Jersey Shore's commitment to clinical excellence, following the university medical center being named a "distinguished hospital for inpatient service," by J.D. Power and Associates, and being the first hospital in the region to earn the Governor's Award for Performance Excellence.

Magnet recognition is bestowed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the nation's largest and foremost nursing accrediting and credentialing organization, to honor the nursing staffs of the hospitals that meet the nations highest standards. The Magnet Recognition Program for Excellence in Nursing Services was developed by the ANCC in 1994 to recognize facilities that provide the very best in nursing care and uphold the tradition within nursing that supports professional nursing practice. The program is based on quality indicators and standards of nursing practice.

Jersey Shore first earned the designation in 1997, when it became one of the first ten hospitals in the nation to earn the designation. The following year, Jersey Shore's Meridian Health partner hospitals, Ocean Medical Center and Riverview Medical Center also earned the designation, making Meridian Health the first health system in the nation to receive Magnet status at each of its member hospitals.

"We are incredibly proud of our nurses not only for earning this well-deserved recognition again, but for all they do every day," says Richard Hader, R.N., PhD., senior vice president of Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer, Meridian Health. "Upholding the highest standards of nursing has been our proud tradition both at Jersey Shore and throughout our partner hospitals at Meridian Health. Every day, our patients share with us how our nurses make a difference in their lives, and it is this consistent delivery of high quality care that says to our patients: no matter where you are within our hospital you are being cared for by the very best."

According to the ANCC, Magnet hospitals consistently deliver better patient outcomes than non-Magnet hospitals, including more time nurses spend at the patients bedside, shorter lengths of patient stay, lower patient mortality rates, higher patient satisfaction rates, and higher nurse retention, recruitment, and job satisfaction rates.

"Magnet recognition is a true honor to receive, and for the community we serve, the designation reinforces that Jersey Shore and Meridian are where you want to go for care," says Steven Littleson, FACHE, president, Jersey Shore University Medical Center. "Magnet, together with our many other state and national recognitions, sends a clear message to our community about our commitment to providing our patients with the best possible care, and that we continue to set high standards for ourselves as we fulfill our vision of being the very best independent academic medical center in New Jersey."

Magnet recognition also plays a pivotal role in addressing the national nursing shortage. More than 126,000 nursing positions are vacant today, and that number is expected to skyrocket as the 78 million baby boomers reach retirement age, placing unprecedented demands on the nation’s health care system. Research was conducted by ANCC showing that Magnet hospitals are better able to attract and retain outstanding nurses compared to non-Magnet hospitals.

"In addition to recognizing the high level of clinical care we provide, Magnet status also is a sign to nurses on the type of exceptional clinical and workplace environment we provide at Meridian," says Dr. Hader. "As a health organization with 100% Magnet status at each of our hospitals, which is combined with our exceptional career advancement and benefit programs, Meridian has the lowest nursing vacancy rate in the entire State of New Jersey."

Jersey Shore University Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, is a not-for-profit university teaching hospital affiliate of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and home to the K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, the first state-designated children's hospital in the region. Jersey Shore is the regional provider of cardiac surgery, which is ranked among the top-rated programs in the state; provides the first and only trauma center in Monmouth and Ocean counties; and is home to the first nationally-certified primary stroke center in the region. For more information on nursing at Jersey Shore and Meridian, please call 1-877-JOIN-MH-TEAM, or visit www.meridianhealth.com.

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