Sharp Memorial and Sharp Grossmont earn Lantern Award

July 12, 2023

Sharp Memorial Hospital and Sharp Grossmont Hospital each received the Emergency Nurses Association's (ENA) prestigious Lantern Award, a national award that recognizes emergency departments that demonstrate exceptional and innovative performance in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research.

Sharp Memorial was the first hospital in San Diego recognized with the Lantern Award in 2014 and is the only emergency department in California, and one of only three emergency departments in the nation, to receive this recognition four or more times. Sharp Memorial’s emergency department and level II trauma center provide emergency medical and trauma services to San Diego, where every patient is seen by a board-certified emergency physician and highly skilled registered nurse.

Sharp Grossmont has the busiest emergency department in the County of San Diego, seeing upward of 110,000 patients annually. They recently earned a national Gold Standard Level 1 accreditation by the American College of Emergency Physicians, the highest standard of care for older adults and became the first hospital in the county to receive Sepsis certification from The Joint Commission, one of only 10 recipients in California.

Bestowed by the ENA, only 1% of the nation’s EDs have received a Lantern Award for exceptional and innovative performance in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research. The award demonstrates the ED's accomplishments in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into emergency care and is a visible symbol of Sharp’s commitment to quality, safety and a healthy work environment.

Some of the projects and data recognized by the ENA through Sharp Memorial's application included:

  • Collaborative working relationships between nurses and physicians in the ED

  • ED & Rapid Response Team (RRT) collaboration to decrease number of patient transfers to a higher level of care after admission from ED

  • ED and inpatient UPCs project that focused on patient admissions during change of shift

  • ED throughput with inpatient and observation units

  • Patient and employee safety with commitment to being a high-reliability organization (HRO)

Some of the projects and data recognized by the ENA through Sharp Grossmont’s application included:

  • ED throughput transformation

  • Geriatric, stroke, sepsis, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) accreditations

  • Substance use reduction programs

  • Disaster preparedness

  • County advocacy and engagement programs

“Our dedicated physicians, nurses, and staff are grateful to be awarded our 4th consecutive Lantern recognition” said Joshua McCabe, emergency services director at Sharp Memorial. “We are proud to serve our San Diego community by being prepared and ready for any trauma or medical emergency. Our Emergency Department has worked hard to demonstrate excellence and innovations in leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research, and the Lantern award recognizes that hard work and the results that our patients and community deserve.”

Paul Larimore, manager, Emergency Department, Sharp Grossmont says, “To be chosen among the best in the nation directly reflects our team’s commitment to high-quality care for our patients and community members.”

“Particularly during the COVID-19 era, our staff met challenges head on, exemplifying leadership, altruism and resiliency, and innovations were crafted that ultimately improved the health care and welfare of our community,” he adds.

The Lantern Award is named in honor of Florence Nightingale, trailblazing nurse and founder of modern nursing, who is commonly referred to as the "Lady With The Lamp." The award period is for three years.

For more information on this year’s Lantern Award recipients, visit the Emergency Nurses Association.