The University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) has been designated a 2007 recipient of the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence. The Beacon Award is given by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) and recognizes the nation's top hospitals critical care units.

University Hospitals Case Medical Center's MICU is recognized as a Beacon Award winner due to the unit's commitment to the highest quality standards in nurse recruitment and retention, patient outcomes, staff training, healthy work environments, leadership and evidence-based practice and research. Last year, the MICU was the only northern Ohio recipient of the Beacon Award. This year, they are one of two units, nationally, to have ever achieved this award two years consecutively.

"The MICU staff work on a principal that excellence can be obtained if one cares more than others think is wise to do so; risks more than others think is safe; dreams more than others think is practical; and most of all they expect more than others think is possible," says Ron Dziedzicki, RN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer of University Hospitals Case Medical Center. "Once again the nurses at University Hospitals demonstrate that high-tech can be combined with high-touch, compassionate care."

In establishing the award, AACN, the world's largest specialty nursing organization, carefully considered a number of factors. To determine whether a critical care unit had earned recognition as a Beacon Award winner, the unit must have:

• Recognized excellence in the intensive care environments in which nurses work and critically ill patients live;
• Recognized excellence of the highest quality measures, processes, structures and outcomes based upon evidence;
• Recognized excellence in collaboration, communication, and partnerships that support the value of healing and humane environments;

The Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence is awarded twice yearly.