Providence Holy Cross Emergency Department earns elite ENA Lantern Award for quality emergency care

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center’s emergency department, which sees close to 300 patients a day, received a national award for excellence in nursing, innovation, leadership and research aimed at raising the quality of care.

The Emergency Nurses Association announced its Lantern Award winners today, honoring just 94 emergency departments across the nation. Providence Holy Cross, with 125 emergency nurses, was the only hospital in the San Fernando Valley to be awarded and one of just eight in California.

“Our ER nurses are phenomenal, continuously looking for ways to ease the way for our patients quickly, expertly and compassionately,” said Connie Richey, RN, emergency department director. “Most importantly, they never lose sight of the fact that each patient is someone’s loved one, a family member or a treasured friend.”

The Providence Holy Cross emergency department treated 105,553 patients in 2023, a monthly average of 8,796. 

The Lantern Award showcases the department’s accomplishments in incorporating evidence-based practices and innovation into emergency care, ENA President Chris Dellinger, RN, wrote in a letter notifying the hospital of its award. The award serves as a visible symbol of the commitment to quality, safety and a healthy work environment.

Providence Holy Cross received a 5-Star rating from the federal government in 2023, has been named among America’s 50 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades for the past five years and earned the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award four years in a row. Additionally, the hospital has held the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s prestigious Magnet designation for nursing excellence since 2007, a fete accomplished by just 1% of the nation’s hospitals.

"Our hospital is filled with outstanding nurses, yet those in the ER are a special breed that truly stands out," said Chief Nursing Officer Jodi Hein, DNP, RN. "Faced with unpredictable daily challenges, they effectively work together to quickly evaluate each patient, communicate efficiently and work alongside doctors, technicians and other staff to deliver top-notch care.

"Their exceptional dedication is one of the key factors behind our status as one of the nation's leading hospitals."