Martha Jefferson Hospital Awarded Magnet™ Recognition

In the company of more than 120 nurses, physicians, staff and Board members, Chief Nursing Officer Amy Black received notification on December 20 that Martha Jefferson Hospital was awarded Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Martha Jefferson becomes the first and only independent community hospital in the Commonwealth of Virginia to attain Magnet status, joining four percent of hospitals nationwide and an elite group of just 35 Magnet hospitals with under 200 licensed beds.

“For years, nurses at Martha Jefferson have worked hard to become leaders in their field,” said Jim Haden, president of Martha Jefferson Hospital. “With the full support of more than 1,600 members of our team, our nursing staff has led an outstanding effort to achieve Magnet recognition. This provides our community tremendous assurance that the quality of care provided at Martha Jefferson meets the gold standard today, and that our institution is well-positioned to continue recruiting and training the best nurses in the field for years to come.”

According to the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, “Recognizing quality patient care and nursing excellence, the Magnet recognition program provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of care they can expect to receive.” Hospitals applying for Magnet status must meet a range of criteria, including the quality of nursing leadership, professional models of care, quality of care and a commitment to quality improvement. Magnet hospitals enjoy a competitive advantage over non-magnet institutions in terms of recruiting and retaining nursing and other medical staff.

Over the past century, Martha Jefferson has been an active force in improving community health by changing and evolving to assess needs and redefine expectations, by reaching out to the undeserved and by piloting new models of care and service delivery. The current strategic plan outlines a goal of development of nursing care that promotes clinical excellence and innovations in the delivery of patient care. Quality nursing is one of the cornerstones on which Martha Jefferson’s reputation has been built. We have a strong team at Martha Jefferson Hospital: doctors, professional staff and support staff. All members of the team work together to prevent, to cure and to heal.