University Health System Becomes Magnetic
San Antonio and South Texas’ First Magnet Healthcare Organization is Named Today - Only 6% of U.S. hospitals Have Earned This Designation
Just as magnets attract metals, Magnet hospitals and health systems attract the best nurses and health professionals. They also offer patients reassurance they are being cared for by a team with a proven track record for providing excellent care and positive outcomes for their patients. Today, University Health System became the first and only health system in San Antonio and South Texas to earn Magnet status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The health system owned by the taxpayers of Bexar County and that serves as our region’s lead Level I trauma center and academic medical center, is now among a very elite group of healthcare institutions. Just six percent of the nation’s hospitals have earned this designation.
University Health System, after a five‐year "Magnet Journey," and by unanimous decision of the ANCC evaluation committee, is now one of 360 Magnet institutions worldwide and the 24th in Texas. It is a significant and prestigious achievement that does not happen quickly or easily. "We are an organization committed to quality, compassion and innovation, and this recognition demonstrates how these ideals are more than just healthcare terms, but words we take to heart in everything we do," said George B. Hernández, Jr., president/CEO of University Health System. "Our Board of Managers set the bar high and challenged us to be the best of the best. Today, we let them know we have reached this mark and set our sights set on the next one."
The Magnet Recognition Program® was created in 1983 by the ANCC, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association and the world’s largest and most prestigious nurse credentialing organization. Through a complex application and review process, including an intensive three‐day onsite survey, University Health System successfully demonstrated its commitment to providing excellent care for all patients, sustaining nursing excellence and transforming the culture of a work environment.
The recognition is also a reflection of the support the nursing staff receives in order to fulfill the health system’s mission. It is also referred to as the "gold standard" in measuring the quality of care that healthcare consumers can expect to receive.
"We are so pleased and proud," said Nancy Ray, RN, University Health System Chief Nursing Officer. "Magnet is a journey, a process and a structure to assure the best outcomes are achieved for patients."
For more information about the ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program, go to www.nursecredentialing.org. To learn more about University Health, visit us online at www.UniversityHealthSystem.com.
About University Health System
University Health System, the public hospital district for Bexar County Texas is the lead Level I Trauma center for south Texas. In 2008, University Health System was named one of the 100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems by the American Hospital Association and Hospitals & Health Networks magazine and, in 2009, University Health System was included among Health Imaging Magazine’s Top 25 Most Connected Healthcare Facilities.
University Hospital, a 498-bed acute care hospital, is the primary teaching hospital for the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and the only trauma center in south Texas equipped to provide lifesaving care to seriously injured children, including severe burn injuries. University Health System also includes 16 community clinics focused on primary, specialty, preventive health services.
