For Immediate Release
May 16, 2007
Contact: Donna Sellmann
732-530-2282
dsellmann@meridianhealth.com

RIVERVIEW MEDICAL CENTER EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR NURSING EXCELLENCE

Hospital staff recognized with distinguished Magnet Award.

Red Bank, NJ - The nurses at Riverview Medical Center have done it again. The American Nurses Credentialing Center?s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program® for excellence in nursing services has once again designated Riverview as a Magnet hospital.

?Magnet recognition is to nursing what a Lombardi trophy is to football?.a gold medal is to the Olympics,? says Susan Bennett, RN, MA, CNAA, vice president of nursing/chief nursing executive at Riverview. ?To earn Magnet status once is a tremendous accomplishment and a great source of pride for our nurses. To retain Magnet status for another four years really underscores the commitment of our entire staff to continually strive harder each day to meet the healthcare needs of the people we serve.?

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.

?Riverview was one of the first hospitals in the state to receive the award in 1998, and this marks our third consecutive designation,? says Tim Hogan, president of Riverview Medical Center. ?It raises the bar on patient care and inspires all of us ? nurses, physicians, professional and support staff ? to strive to be even better. That?s what enabled us to become a Magnet facility in the first place, and we continue to provide our patients with excellent nursing care today.?

Riverview Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health Family, is a non-profit community hospital located in Red Bank, New Jersey, providing health care programs and services in all major medical disciplines, including maternity; oncology; orthopedics and rehabilitation; general, neuro, thoracic and vascular surgery; cardiology; renal dialysis; diabetes management; and emergency and critical care services. Riverview?s Booker Cancer Center is an affiliate of the renowned Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, and Riverview is home to the only fully accredited acute comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation center in Monmouth County. In addition, its Women Center and Childbirth Center specialize in the full spectrum of needs for the body, mind and spirit. For more information about Riverview Medical Center and Meridian Health, please call the Meridian Health Line at 1-800-560-9990 or visit www.riverviewmedicalcenter.com

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