Nyack, N.Y. January 30, 2026 – The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently conferred a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Montefiore Nyack Hospital, Nyack, N.Y. This is a significant achievement as more than 575 units from around the country applied for the award in 2025.

The Beacon Award for Excellence is a prestigious honor that recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards: Skilled Communication, True Collaboration, Effective Decision Making, Appropriate Staffing, Meaningful Recognition, and Authentic Leadership. Units earning this annual gold, silver, or bronze award meet AACN-established criteria for unit environments that support nursing excellence. 

“Receiving this award is a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments,” said Jennifer Shannon, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Senior Director of Nursing Critical Care and Telemetry at Montefiore Nyack Hospital.  “I am so proud of our critical care team nurses whose commitment to continually improve patient outcomes exemplifies this award of excellence.”

Beacon-awarded units distinguish themselves by excelling in various areas demonstrated in their application. All awardees demonstrate dynamic and outstanding performance in the areas of Patient Outcomes, Nursing Workforce, and Work Environment.

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About Montefiore Nyack Hospital 
Montefiore Nyack Hospital is a 375-bed community acute care medical and surgical hospital founded in 1895. Its mission is to provide competent, innovative, and accessible emergency and acute care services to the residents of Rockland County, NY, and its surrounding areas. It is a member of Montefiore Health System and a partner with Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, providing clinical rotations to medical students. To learn more, visit www.montefiorenyack.org; follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram; view us on YouTube.

About the Beacon Award for Excellence
Established in 2003, the Beacon Award for Excellence offers a road map to help guide exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. U.S. and Canadian units where patients receive their principal nursing care after hospital admission qualify for this excellence award. Units that receive the Beacon Award for Excellence meet criteria in six categories: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management, and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call 800-899-2226.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.