News Releases

Wilmington, Del.—The Emergency Department nurses at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children were awarded the prestigious 2019 Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children is the only hospital in Delaware, as well as the only pediatric hospital in the Delaware Valley, to have received this national award. Only 28 emergency departments across the country were awarded this year.

The Lantern Award is named in honor of Florence Nightingale, who famously worked to improve and change nursing care in the 19th Century. This award recognizes emergency departments that demonstrate excellent practice and innovative performance through leadership, education, advocacy and research. The Lantern Award has been recognizing Emergency Department nurses since 2011 and each award is valid for three years.

Key Facts

• The Emergency Department nurses at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children were awarded the 2019 Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA).
• Nemours duPont Hospital for Children is the only hospital in Delaware, as well as the only pediatric hospital in the Delaware Valley, to have received this national award.
• Nemours duPont Hospital for Children is one of only a handful of emergency departments in the U.S. that is a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, a Level 1 Pediatric Emergency Department (through the EMSC facility recognition program) and a Lantern Award recipient.
• Nemours duPont Hospital for Children is one of only 28 emergency departments out of the over 5,000 emergency departments in the country to receive this award in 2019. Just 8 of the 28 recognized this year are pediatric hospitals.
• The Lantern Award recognizes emergency department nurses who demonstrate excellent practice and innovative performance through leadership, education, advocacy and research.

Quotes

 “The Lantern award recognizes the hard work and commitment of our ED nurses. It highlights how well we work as a team both within the ED and with departments throughout our hospital. This dedication and true team effort ensures Nemours’ commitment to quality and safety stays at the forefront, without sacrificing putting the patient first with everything we do.”

-- James Thomas, MSN, RN, CEN, Nurse Manager, Emergency Department at Nemours duPont Hospital for Children

“We realize receiving an award like this takes an extraordinary team effort. The Lantern Award is a great recognition for all members of the Emergency Department team, and highlights our commitment to quality care.”

­--Jane Mericle, MHS-CL, BSN, RN, CENP, OVP, Nemours Chief Nurse Executive, Delaware Valley

 “It is exciting that 28 emergency departments achieved this prestigious ENA Lantern Award recognition. This award validates the exemplary care they provide to each patient, their families and their colleagues.”

--Patti Kunz Howard, President, Emergency Nurses Association, PhD, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, NE-BC, FAEN, FAAN

About Nemours Children’s Health System
Nemours is an internationally recognized children's health system that owns and operates the two free-standing children’s hospitals: Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla., along with outpatient facilities in five states, delivering pediatric primary, specialty and urgent care. Nemours also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, KidsHealth.org, and offers on-demand, online video patient visits through Nemours CareConnect. Nemours ReadingBrightstart.org is a program dedicated to preventing reading failure in young children, grounded in Nemours’ understanding that child health and learning are inextricably linked, and that reading level is a strong predictor of adult health.

Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, Nemours provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy and prevention programs to families in the communities it serves.

About the Emergency Nurses Association

The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) is the premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing through advocacy, education, research, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA has proven to be an indispensable resource to the global emergency nursing community. With more than 43,000 members worldwide, ENA advocates for patient safety, develops industry-leading practice standards and guidelines, and guides emergency healthcare public policy. ENA members have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness, and all aspects of emergency care. Additional information is available at www.ena.org.