Akron Children’s earns Beacon Award for Excellence in three units
03-26-2025 (Ohio)
Three units at Akron Children’s—the Burn Center, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and 7 Surgical—earned the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, a national recognition for hospital units that distinguish themselves by providing high-quality patient care in a healthy work environment.
“I’m so proud of the teams working on these units. Earning this award reflects their dedication to providing top-tier care, improving patient outcomes and fostering a professional environment where nurses can thrive,” said Stephanie Williams, director of nursing, critical care and specialty care. “This designation signifies that the unit is performing at a high level and has met rigorous standards of excellence in health care. It really shows who we are as an organization at Akron Children’s, why we’re here and what we care about.”
Akron Children’s is one of only four pediatric hospitals in Ohio to receive Beacon recognition in 2025. Of the seven pediatric units recognized statewide, Akron Children’s earned three of those designations.
The Beacon Award program comprises three distinct modules: patient outcomes, work environment and nursing workforce. For patients and their families, the award signifies exceptional, quality care through improved outcomes. For nurses, a Beacon Award can mean a positive and supportive work environment with greater collaboration between colleagues and leaders, higher morale and lower turnover.
This is the fourth time the hospital’s PICU has earned this prestigious award and the first recognition for the Burn Center and 7 Surgical.
“Achieving this designation across three units is a huge accomplishment,” said Melanie Brewster, PICU clinical coordinator. “It reflects the strong collaboration of our team. It also shows how we’re continuously improving and implementing best practices as we collect, measure and analyze this data.”
All three units received the silver designation, and outperformed national benchmarks across several award categories.
The Burn Unit excelled in patient outcomes with zero central-line associated bloodstream infections and zero catheter-associated urinary tract infections over a two-year period.
In the nursing workforce category, 7 Surgical surpassed national benchmarks for nursing work environment and nurse well-being, and the PICU exceeded the national benchmark for nursing certification by 3%.
“This award isn’t given for short-term achievements,” said Williams. “It recognizes sustained success and continuous improvement, meaning these units have consistently maintained high standards over time.
“I’m so amazed by everything these departments are doing,” she added. “It speaks to their commitment to providing exceptional patient care and enhancing nursing practice at Akron Children’s.”
