St. Francis Hospital Emergency Department Receives National Honor

Catholic Health’s St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center’s Emergency Department has been honored with the Emergency Nurses Association’s (ENA) Lantern Award, which is dedicated to recognizing emergency departments.

St. Francis is one of only 33 hospitals nationally to receive the award. Honorees were recognized at ENA’s annual conference Emergency Nursing 2021 in its Hall of Honor. Each emergency department’s award-winning efforts will also be highlighted in the association’s member magazine, ENA Connection.

“The Lantern Award is a recognition of the emergency department team’s hard work and commitment to providing our patients quality care when they need it most,” said St. Francis Hospital’s Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Offer Ann Cella.

The ENA Lantern Award recognizes emergency departments that demonstrate excellent practice and innovative performance through leadership, education, advocacy and research. When an ED applies, it's encouraged to share stories that highlight its commitment to care as well as initiatives that improve the well-being of nursing staff. Applications are reviewed and selected by the ENA Lantern Award Committee.

This year, St. Francis took steps to further enhance its emergency services. The hospital has completed work on an Emergency Department expansion project that includes additional clinical areas to streamline the time from door-to-provider and optimize the discharge process. 

The renovation includes 4 new treatment bays and 11 observation bays in 5,600 square feet of space. There is now more than 16,500 square feet of space and 25 total rooms dedicated to emergency care at St. Francis.