Peconic Bay Medical Center earns national designation for nursing excellence
Green and yellow confetti shot into the air, balloons spelling “Magnet” were flaunted and smiles curled on everyone’s faces as Peconic Bay Medical Center received the highest national honor healthcare organizations receive for nursing excellence and quality patient care on Wednesday.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center designated the hospital a Magnet organization, the first in the area to do so.
“Striving for Magnet meant striving for excellence, and it is what this extraordinary community deserves,” President Amy Loeb said. “This is the pinnacle of nursing excellence. You set a new standard of care for this community. There’s no going back now; this is the standard.”
Doctors, nurses, friends, and family packed the PBMC lobby, listening intently as Magnet Commission Chair Dr. David Marshall listed each exemplar the hospital earned. After each of the 15, the room erupted.
PBMC stood out in categories such as workplace diversity, equity and inclusion; reductions in hospital length of stay; nurse turnover rate; protocol for vital sign assessment; ambulatory care setting; patient education and many more.
“This accomplishment is a testament to your commitment to nursing excellence, and the Commission on Magnet recognizes your organization’s dedication to the nurses who practice there, to the entire healthcare team there, but most importantly to those patients, families, and the community that you serve,” Dr. Marshall said.
Achieving Magnet status followed an extensive, multi-year application process, culminating in an on-site appraisal by a team of American Nurses Credentialing Center-trained Magnet Appraisers who reviewed documentation, toured the hospital, and met directly with nurses, physicians and staff. As part of the designation process, PBMC invited members of the community and hospital staff to share feedback with appraisers ahead of a site visit conducted in June.
The designation is valid for four years, during which PBMC will continue to be evaluated to ensure it sustains the highest standards of nursing practice.
“Magnet excellence is not achieved by nursing alone. Your collaboration, expertise, and commitment to our patients were an essential part of our story and our success,” said Kathleen Wagner, the hospital’s nursing education and professional development director. “Today we celebrate every meeting that we were in, every narrative that we wrote, every piece of evidence, every practice change, every outcome, and most importantly, every person who helped this moment.”
Research has linked Magnet designation to improved patient outcomes, higher nurse satisfaction and stronger nurse retention.
“This designation reflects the voice every nurse at Peconic Bay Medical Center has in shaping how we care for our patients,” Chief Nursing Officer Christine Kippley said. “Magnet recognition isn’t just given but earned through years of nurses leading change at the bedside, mentoring one another and holding ourselves to the highest standard of care. This is a moment to celebrate every nurse who helped get us here, and a commitment to keep raising that bar.”
The designation comes shortly after PBMC was named one of America’s Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek and earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group.
PBMC also recently opened the Bill and Ruth Ann Harnisch Neurosciences Center, Eastern Suffolk County’s only thrombectomy-capable stroke program, the Emilie Roy Corey Center for Women and Infants, and began doing renal denervation procedures at the Kanas Regional Heart Center.
“Peconic Bay Medical Center’s nurses represent the clinical excellence and collaborative spirit that define what it means to be a Magnet organization,” said Launette Woolforde, chief nurse executive for Northwell Health. “This designation reflects the caliber of PBMC’s team, our commitment to the community, and the broader standard of nursing practice we continue to advance across Northwell Health.”
