The Arkansas Children’s Heart Institute Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) has received a Gold-Level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), distinguishing the unit’s exceptional patient care and healthy work environments.
The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with a gold, silver, or bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
The CVICU, which provides comprehensive surgical and intensive care for children across the region with heart disease and defects, previously achieved Silver-Level in 2019. The AACN recognized the ACH Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which cares for the state’s most critically ill and injured children, with a second Silver-Level Beacon Award in 2021. Arkansas Children’s CVICU and PICU, both at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, are the only intensive care units in the state to be awarded Beacon honors.
“This Gold-Level Beacon Award is an excellent symbol of our team’s commitment to create a better today and healthier tomorrow for Arkansas children,” said Kris Maddalena, MSN, chief nursing officer for Arkansas Children’s Hospital. “Our CVICU team is dedicated to creating excellent patient- and family-centered care so children facing pediatric heart disease can thrive. We are especially proud that Arkansas Children’s is the only pediatric CVICU in surrounding states to achieve this distinction.”
The CVICU is a component of the Arkansas Children’s Heart Institute, with two cardiovascular operating rooms, two state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization labs, heart-lung bypass technology, and outpatient services that include regional clinics. The Heart Institute provides comprehensive congenital cardiac care for a lifetime, from fetal echo interpretation before a baby is born to full support for adults with congenital heart disease.