July 31, 2019
Kansas City, Kan. — The University of Kansas Hospital's Emergency Department (ED) has received the Lantern Award. Only 28 EDs in the nation this year have received the award, which is given by the Emergency Nurses Association. Our ED is the only one in Kansas and the region to receive this year's award.
The Lantern recognizes emergency departments that demonstrate excellent practice and innovative performance through leadership, education, advocacy and research. Our ED encompasses 165 staff, 28 physicians and 14 nurse practitioners. They treated more than 60,200 patient in fiscal year 2018.
It has been a journey, but a journey worth taking. The department has grown so much over the years and the hospital and staff deserve this recognition. – Adam Olberding, RN
Director, Emergency Services and interim director, Critical Care Services
The clinical team provides round-the-clock care for patients with the most serious trauma injuries. They care for patients who may be suffering from heart attack, stroke, poison, frostbite or burns, gunshot/stab wounds, psychiatric and psychological disorders and trauma care.
"Lantern is the process of achieving a status that recognizes our team's commitment and dedication to patients," says Adam Olberding, RN, director of Emergency Services and interim director of Critical Care Services.
"It has been a journey, but a journey worth taking," he adds. "The department has grown so much over the years and the hospital and staff deserve this recognition."
High-acuity patients
As the region's only Level 1 Trauma Center, the ED specializes in high-acuity patients with complex, multisystem injuries.
Patients often are transferred here because of the ED's lifesaving services. Specialists include nurses, trauma surgeons, Emergency Medicine physicians, neurosurgeons, orthopedists, plastic surgeons, radiologists and respiratory therapists.
The Emergency Nurses Association established the Lantern Award in 2011; our ED was also among the list of those inaugural winners. The application process is very intensive and very few win it on the first attempt.
The Lantern designation is valid for 3 years. The award is named in honor of the "Lady of the Lamp," Florence Nightingale, who worked deep into the night during the Crimean War of the 1850s checking on wounded British soldiers.
"It is exciting that 28 emergency departments achieved the prestigious ENA Lantern Award recognition," says association President Patti Kunz Howard, PhD, RN. "This award validates the exemplary care they provide to each patient, their families and their colleagues."