Morristown Medical's Emergency Dept. Wins Prestigious Award

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The emergency department at Morristown Medical Center has earned national recognition for its patient care and nursing practices.

Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center's Sameth Emergency Department was named a recipient of the Emergency Nurses Association's 2026 Lantern Award, marking the third time the Morristown department has received the distinction.

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The Lantern Award recognizes emergency departments for innovation and evidence-based improvements that result in better patient care and employee well-being. Awards are presented in three-year cycles to departments that demonstrate sustained excellence in emergency nursing and patient care.

Morristown's emergency department treated more than 110,000 patients in 2025, according to Atlantic Health. The Sameth Emergency Department operates within Morristown Medical Center's 735-bed Level 1 Trauma Center and is accredited by the American College of Emergency Physicians as a Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department.

The department also supports emergency medicine, nursing and pharmacy residency programs, providing training for the next generation of health care professionals.

Morristown was one of three Atlantic Health emergency departments to receive the Lantern Award this year. Overlook Medical Center's Union Campus and CentraState Medical Center in Freehold were also recognized, joining a total of 126 emergency departments receiving the award nationwide.

"Receiving the Lantern Award across three of our emergency departments — including Union's unprecedented sixth consecutive designation — is a powerful reflection of the extraordinary care our teams provide to tens of thousands of patients each year," Atlantic Health Senior Vice President and System Chief Nursing Executive Cody Legler said.

Legler said the recognition reflects the teams' "clinical expertise" as well as their "compassion, innovation, and unwavering commitment to the communities we serve."

Emergency Nurses Association President Dustin Bass said the award is specifically intended to recognize an emergency department and the people working within it, rather than an individual or an entire hospital.

"The Lantern recognizes something incredibly special," Bass said. "It isn't an award for an individual or an entire hospital—it's a recognition earned by an emergency department and the team that powers it every day."

Morristown Medical Center is one of eight hospitals operated by Atlantic Health, a nonprofit health system with more than 550 sites of care.