HVHC Wins Prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence

At 11 a.m. Feb. 14, received a call from the American Nurses Credentialing Center announcing that the hospital had achieved what no other hospital in the region has achieved twice – a Magnet designation.

More than 75 staff members – including the Hospital’s President John C. Federspiel and Vice President of Patient Services Kathy Webster – gathered in the hospital’s Wagner Conference room for the call. Cheers rose from the crowd when the announcement was made. The application process represented more than a year of work for the nursing staff and included thousands of pages of documentation and a rigorous three-day inspection. The hospital is the only one from NYC to Albany to receive this designation for a second time, and is one of 391 hospitals in the nation with Magnet status.

“I am very pleased to announce that Hudson Valley Hospital Center has once again received Magnet designation. Yours is a truly exemplary hospital that represents quality patient care so beautifully,’’ Patricia Reid Ponte, chair of the Magnet Commission, told the crowd.

Webster, who oversees the Magnet application as head of the nursing staff at HVHC, said that the Magnet accreditation was about team work and represented the gold standard for nursing.

“We firmly believe that our commitment to excellence is a commitment to Magnet. “I am very proud of our entire nursing staff for the many hours of work that went into getting this designation, but more importantly for the quality of nursing at this Hospital that goes on everyday that has helped us to achieve this distinction.”

Federspiel said that the Magnet designation was not only a feather in the cap of the Hospital, but a benefit to the entire community because of the quality of nursing care that is available.

“This is truly a wonderful day for everyone here at HVHC, and for the community,’’ he said. “I would like to thank everyone who worked so vigorously to assure our continued designation. With only 7 percent of hospitals in the nation receiving Magnet accreditation, this is quite a distinction.’’

The Hospital first achieved Magnet accreditation in 2007. At the time, it was among only 4 percent of hospitals nationwide to win this distinction. The first accreditation took more than two years of preparation and included more than 3,000 pages of documentation.

The Magnet Recognition Program® recognizes health care organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations. The nursing program must meet more than 87 criteria with regard to policy and procedures, quality of leadership, empowering nurses, exemplary practice and innovations and improvements through research. Nurses who work in a Magnet facility are more likely to be more highly educated and better credentialed with specialty certification. That means that the consumer—the patient and family—receive the best most up-to-date nursing care.   

Hudson Valley Hospital Center is in good company. Eight of the top 10 medical centers on the US News Best Hospitals in America Honor Roll were Magnet organizations in 2011-2012. Recently, US News & World Report has made Magnet designation a primary competence indicator in its assessment of almost 5,000 hospitals to rank and report the best hospitals in 16 specialties. 

Hudson Valley Hospital Center is dedicated to serving the health care needs of the community and to providing quality, comprehensive medical care in a compassionate, professional, respectful manner, without regard to race, religion, national origin or disease category. Offering state-of-the-art diagnostic treatment, education and preventive services, the Hospital is committed to improving the quality of life in the community.  In fulfilling this mission, the Hospital will strive to continuously improve the care provided and develop and offer programs, facilities, systems and alliances that most effectively respond to community health care needs.  Hudson Valley Hospital Center is located on Route 202 (1980 Crompond Road) in Cortlandt Manor, New York. For physician directory assistance please call 800-482-HVHC or visit www.hvhc.org.

The above was provided by the Hudson Valley Hospital Center.

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