National Nurses Week: AMN Healthcare Commitment to Excellence Awards Recognize Importance of Nurses in Patient Care

SAN DIEGO, May 12, 2017/PRNewswire / -- Recognizing the critical role that nurses provide to patient care, AMN Healthcare, the leader and innovator in healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services, and The Center for the Advancement of Healthcare Professionals, presented the 2017 Commitment to Excellence Awards to four AMN travel nurses who exemplify innovation, passion, customer focus and overall commitment to excellence.

The awards are given annually in recognition of Nurses Week (May 6 - 12, 2017), which coincides with Florence Nightingale'sbirthday in May.

'Nurses are at the center of delivering a quality, compassionate patient care experience. AMN Healthcare is honored to recognize the exceptional service of nurses throughout the world this week,' said Susan Salka, AMN Healthcare President and CEO. 'We are also very proud that some of the finest nurses in the country have or are currently working with the AMN team providing outstanding care for our clients. Their commitment to their profession and their advocacy for patients and their families is inspiring to us all.'

Per diem and travel nurses have always been an essential part of any effective healthcare system and are becoming increasingly important as the healthcare industry faces a growing nurse shortage and increased need for workforce flexibility. Research confirms that per diem and travel nurses provide quality of care that is equivalent to their permanent counterparts.

The following four outstanding AMN travel nurses were chosen by a committee of AMN clients, clinicians and recruiters. These nurses showed an unwavering commitment to excellence in the nursing profession that goes far beyond their job requirements. The nominations were a testament to the high quality of nurses that AMN Healthcare has on assignment.

The Innovation Award went to Jennifer Ordonez, RN BSN, an ICU Nurse on assignment in Palm Springs, CA, for her ongoing pursuit of personal and professional excellence through innovation and the advancement of patient care. As her nomination stated, 'Jennifer goes beyond the care and comfort of the patient to provide life-changing care. This is the definition of excellence.'

The Passion Award for exemplifying the highest standards of professional excellence through leadership and extraordinary commitment to service throughout their healthcare community went to Allison Griffin, RN, BLS, CHEMO, PALS, PMD, a Pediatric Nurse on assignment in Boston, MA.Allison was selected because she 'is able to impact the lives of the children and their families with her care and compassion in a meaningful way each and every day!'

The Customer Focus Award for demonstrating an unwavering dedication to the improvement of patient care across all specialties and embodying the core values of the nursing profession in actions and words went to Sandra Shrago, RN, ACLS, BSN, an ICU Nurse on assignment at NewYork-Presbyterian/ Columbia UniversityMedical Center in New York, NY. Sandra was nominated for this award because she 'encompasses all that nursing should represent, going above and beyond what is standard, setting a bar for herself, for her care of others. Her amiable demeanor, warm smile and linguistic adeptness proves to be a pleasure and an asset.'

The Overall Commitment to Excellence Award for all of these qualities, and continually striving to improve patient care through education and innovation, displaying an unmatched passion for the profession was given to Sonia Washington, RN, ACLS, BLS, PALS, an ICU Nurse on assignment at Hilo Medical Center in Hilo, HI.

'Sonia's respect of patients, families, physicians, and quick adaption to local culture make her shine,' said Sonia's supervisors at Hilo Medical Center. 'Sonia demonstrated the professional conduct and compassion our ICU Beacon Status department is known for and expects. Sonia has an outgoing personality, participates in our teamwork philosophy… and works above and beyond as a patient advocate.'

NewYork-Presbyterian
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation's most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare delivery systems, whose organizations are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care and service to patients in the New Yorkmetropolitan area, nationally, and throughout the globe. In collaboration with two renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia UniversityMedical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and innovative, patient-centered clinical care.

NewYork-Presbyterian has four major divisions:

• NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is ranked #1 in the New Yorkmetropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report and repeatedly named to the Honor Roll of 'America's Best Hospitals.'
• NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network comprises hospitals and other facilities in the New Yorkmetropolitan region.
• NewYork-Presbyterian Physician Services, which connects medical experts with patients in their communities.
• NewYork-Presbyterian Community and Population Health, encompassing ambulatory care network sites and community healthcare initiatives, including NewYork Quality Care, the Accountable Care Organization jointly established by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia.

For more information, visit www.nyp.org and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Hilo Medical Center
As the Big Island's leading provider of nationally recognized 4-star care, Hilo Medical Center (HMC) delivers a full range of services and programs. Our 20-acre campus consists of 276 beds located throughout the 137-bed acute hospital, 20-bed behavioral health unit and a 119-bed long-term care facility. We have over 1,000 employees and a medical staff comprised of 250 physicians, physician assistants and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, representing 33 specialties. As a medical center, we have a network of nine outpatient clinics offering primary and specialty care. The hospital is a Level III Trauma Center which includes the second busiest emergency room in the state that provides 24-hour care to nearly 48,000 patients annually. In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ranked HMC 4 stars for Overall Hospital Quality, putting our hospital in the top 20% in the nation, among the top 5 hospitals in the state, and named HMC the only 4-star hospital on Hawaii Island. Also in 2016, our Intensive Care Unit was designated as a bronze level for Beacon Award of Excellence - only the second ICU in the state to receive this designation. HMC received the 2016 American Heart Association Gold Plus Award for heart failure. HMC has also been recognized for quality long term care by Providigm for Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement Accredited Facility and Embracing Quality Award for the Prevention of Hospital Readmissions. Our long term care met the requirements for the American Health Care Association's Three Tier Level Quality Initiative Recognition Program. HMC ranks in the top 2% of hospitals in country and best in the state of Hawaiifor preventing Hospital Acquired Conditions, according to CMS in 2015. The hospital is also a recipient of the 2015 Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award™ and a past recipient of the Mountain Pacific Quality Health's Quality Achievement Award. HMC received the HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award for Excellence in 2015 for demonstrating EMR utilization to improve quality of care and financial management. We are part of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, a public entity established in 1996 by the State of Hawaiito fulfill the promise to provide quality, hometown healthcare. For more information, go to: www.hilomedicalcenter.org.

About AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to healthcare facilities across the nation. The Company provides unparalleled access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities. With insights and expertise, AMN Healthcare helps providers optimize their workforce to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency, and improve patient outcomes. AMN delivers managed services programs, healthcare executive search solutions, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing, predictive modeling, medical coding and consulting, and other services. Clients include acute-care hospitals, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups, retail and urgent care centers, home health facilities, and many other healthcare settings. For more information about AMN Healthcare, visit www.amnhealthcare.com.

Media Contact:
Jim Gogek
Corporate Communications
AMN Healthcare
(858) 350-3209
Jim.Gogek@amnhealthcare.com

SOURCE AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.