Joining in the celebration for Magnet redesignation at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens were, at center, front row, from left: Caryn A. Schwab; David L. Reich, MD; and Nancy Lamberson, MSN, RN; and center, second row, from left: Jill Goldstein, MA, MS, RN; Shirish Huprikar, MD, Chief Medical Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital; and Frances Cartwright PhD, RN-BC, AOCN, FAAN.

Three Mount Sinai Health System hospitals have again received national recognition for excellence in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. The Mount Sinai Hospital received Magnet® designation for the fourth consecutive time; Mount Sinai Queens—the Queens campus of The Mount Sinai Hospital—received its second designation; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai received its third Magnet designation.

The announcements came in telephone calls from the ANCC to Nursing leadership at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai on Thursday, September 19, and The Mount Sinai Hospital on Monday, September 23. Celebrations immediately erupted on the three hospital campuses as joyful and boisterous nurses and staff—waving pom-poms and holding posters—cheered, clapped, and hugged, as they enjoyed this special recognition.

The Magnet designation is the highest national honor for nursing excellence. Only about 8 percent of U.S. hospitals—out of 6,300—have achieved Magnet recognition. Four Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are among them, including Mount Sinai South Nassau, which received its second consecutive designation last year.

To earn redesignation, hospitals must meet stringent standards demonstrating quality patient-centric nursing care, innovation in professional nursing, and nursing research. Hospitals must present documented evidence that the Magnet Standards have been met and have been fully enculturated during the four-year period since the last designation.

From left: James C. Tsai, MD, MBA, President, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, celebrated Magnet redesignation with Christine Mahoney, RN, MS, AGACNP-BC, CCRN; and Stacey A. Conklin, MSN, MHCDS, RN, NE-BC, the institution’s former Chief Nursing Officer, who is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Mount Sinai South Nassau.

“This redesignation reflects the quality and superb outcomes provided by the nursing teams at The Mount Sinai Hospital and our Queens campus, as well as the commitment of every member of the hospital team who works to assure excellence in patient care,” said David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Mount Sinai Hospital, and President of Mount Sinai Queens.

“Collaboration, caring, and excellence are personified by the Magnet model and this reflects our professional practice model: relationship-centered care that extends to our patients, their families, our nursing and interdisciplinary colleagues, and our community,” added Frances Cartwright, PhD, RN-BC, AOCN, FAAN, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens, Edgar M. Cullman, Sr. Chair of the Department of Nursing, and Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“This achievement speaks volumes to the exceptional engagement of our professional nursing staff,” said Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director of Mount Sinai Queens. “Their skill, knowledge, and compassion are key to the high-quality patient care that the Magnet appraisers observed here.”

Jill Goldstein, MA, MS, RN, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Nursing, Mount Sinai Queens, added: “I am so very proud of our nurses and their incredible commitment to excellence.” Mount Sinai Queens is the only Magnet-designated hospital in the borough.

In addition to Dr. Cartwright and Ms. Goldstein, a number of Nursing leaders directed the Magnet redesignation effort across campuses, including Nancy Lamberson, MSN, RN, Senior Director of Nursing, Department of Radiology, and Magnet Program Director, The Mount Sinai Hospital; Christine Mahoney, RN, MS, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, Mount Sinai Downtown; and Margaret M. Morales, MA, RN, ACNS, NEA-BC, Vice President for Patient Care Services, and Barbara Straub, MSN, RN-BC, Director, Nursing IT/ Magnet Program, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

Enjoying Magnet redesignation at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, were, front row, from left: Lilian Bayaya, RN; Henedia Sirlian, MSN, RN; Johanna Sica, MSN, RN, CEN; and Min Jeon, MBA, BSN, RN, CRNO; back row, from left: Darwin Recentes, RN; Kamille Vega-Bryan, RN; Robin Begley, RN; and Mandy Zhao, BSN, RN.

The process involved months of work at each of the three hospitals by nurses at all levels of practice who successfully demonstrated excellence in every aspect of health care delivery. Overall, Magnet hospitals report 10.3 percent lower fall rates, 14 percent lower mortality rates, and 5.5 percent fewer hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, among other improvements, for their patients compared to non-Magnet hospitals.

At New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Nursing leaders created a “Cheer Walk” for hospital leadership, nurses, and staff—applauding wildly and snapping quick pictures as they arrived for the celebration—providing a red-carpet entrance fit for celebrities. According to James C. Tsai, MD, MBA, President of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, and the Delafield-Rodgers Professor and Health System Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, “This is an incredible source of pride for our nurses, and it also reaffirms the hard work and dedication of our entire staff.”

Nursing leadership also expressed their gratitude. “New York Eye and Ear nurses distinguish themselves as caregivers, educators, leaders, scholars, and innovators,” Ms. Morales said. Ms. Mahoney added: “Our nurses are among the best in the nation, and I am inspired by their dedication to our patients and to each other.”

Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York.

South Nassau Communities Hospital—a 90-year-old institution that serves 900,000 residents on the South Shore of Long Island—will now operate as Mount Sinai South Nassau to reflect its partnership with the Mount Sinai Health System.

“The new name reflects not only the hospital’s proud history and regional geography, but also its future,” says Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “South Nassau’s team of highly skilled physicians, nurses, and support staff will now have the opportunity to expand services to the community through new synergies with Mount Sinai, including access to an array of specialists and clinical trials that have, until now, only been available by traveling into the city.”

Mount Sinai and South Nassau announced their plan to establish a partnership in January 2018 and received New York State regulatory approval in December 2018. During the past two years, administrative and clinical leaders have worked to combine the Mount Sinai Health System’s academic, clinical, and research expertise with the award-winning community-based care of Mount Sinai South Nassau. “The rebranding reflects a shared vision and collective goal to provide the highest quality of care to patients on Long Island,” says Arthur A. Klein, MD, President of the Mount Sinai Health Network.

Mount Sinai South Nassau is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians, and 3,500 employees. It has added new services that are growing rapidly, such as maternal fetal medicine, interventional endoscopy, and pediatric cardiology, and plans to expand its cardiac surgery, cancer care, neuroscience, and colon and rectal surgery programs. Mount Sinai South Nassau is in the midst of a $400 million long-term strategic growth initiative that will transform its campuses in Oceanside and Long Beach, New York. Richard J. Murphy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mount Sinai South Nassau, says, “While the hospital has a new name, our legacy of serving this community and providing patients with extraordinary health care will only grow stronger as a result of our partnership with Mount Sinai.”

The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 nationally in the 2019-2020 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report and is ranked nationally in 8 adult medical specialties. South Nassau is ranked No. 20 among the 170 hospitals in the state of New York, as well as No. 20 among the 118 hospitals in the New York metropolitan area, while its Division of Urology is ranked 35th nationally. The Mount Sinai Health System includes more than 400 ambulatory practices and other community locations, and more than 7,000 primary and specialty care physicians, as well as 200 physicians and other experts at 11 multidisciplinary practices based on Long Island.

Combined with Mount Sinai South Nassau’s roster of approximately 900 physicians and 22 ambulatory practices, Long Islanders now have access to a vast continuum of community-based specialty physician practices, including cardiology, internal medicine, primary care, men’s and women’s health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopedics, cancer care, and many other services.

Mount Sinai South Nassau operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County, along with Long Island’s only freestanding Emergency Department in Long Beach. The hospital also is nationally recognized for its nursing care and has received honors for orthopedic treatment and women’s care from Healthgrades, a national independent rating agency.

At the announcement of the hospital’s new name, from left: Adhi Sharma, MD, Executive Vice President for Clinical and Professional Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer, Mount Sinai South Nassau; Stephen J. Silich, Vice President, Business Development, Mount Sinai Health System; Rajiv Datta, MD, Chair of the Department of Surgery, Mount Sinai South Nassau; Arthur Klein, MD, President, Mount Sinai Health Network; Richard J. Murphy; President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai South Nassau; and Aaron Glatt, MD, Chair of the Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai South Nassau.