Memorial Hospital Achieved Magnet Designation for Excellence

Memorial Hospital achieved Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program – a feat accomplished by only 15 other hospitals in Illinois and 288 nationally, among the estimated 6,000 or about 5% of hospitals in the United States. Memorial is the only Illinois hospital south of Springfield to earn this prestigious designation. “Our Magnet designation recognizes the excellent work our nursing staff does every day to provide high quality patient care,” said Nancy Weston, RN, vice president of nursing services. “It also demonstrates the commitment of our entire staff to work together as a team to deliver exceptional healthcare with compassionate service to the people of our community.” To achieve Magnet designation, Memorial underwent a two-year evaluation that included an extensive application process, gathering and compiling volumes of data and stories, interviews and a three-day on-site survey by ANCC reviewers. To qualify for Magnet status, Memorial had to
more meet specific criteria and provide sources of evidence in 14 standards or ‘Forces of Magnetism’, including: Quality of Nursing Leadership; Organizational Structure; Management Style; Personnel Polices and Programs; Professional Models of Care; Quality of Care; Quality Improvement; Consultation and Resources; Autonomy; Nurses as Teaches; Image of Nursing; Interdisciplinary Relationships; Community and Professional Development. Surveyors met with nurses, physicians, patients and families, employees, volunteers and community leaders to validate those criteria in each of these
 forces’ were being met.

Magnet status is the highest level of recognition ANCC awards to nursing services in national and international healthcare, and is often referred to as the “gold standard” by which nursing and patient care is measured. “The Magnet designation provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of care that they can expect to receive at Memorial,” said Mark J. Turner, president and CEO. “We are very proud of this outstanding achievement by our nursing staff as well as the entire hospital team.”

Memorial Hospital in Belleville has been awarded a three-year accreditation in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) using its 1.5 Tesla unit as a result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).  Memorial achieved accreditation on its 3 Tesla MRI in September 2006.

The ACR awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of the practice.  Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.  They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of facility equipment.  The surveyors report their findings to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report.

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