CANTON, Ohio (May 19, 2020) – Aultman Hospital has been granted Magnet^® recognition for the fourth time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program^® for nursing excellence, an achievement shared by only 9 percent of hospitals in the nation. Aultman first achieved Magnet status in 2006 and remains the only Magnet-designated organization in Stark County.

This newest redesignation follows a four-day site visit in January 2020. During the visit, four appraisers from the Magnet Recognition Program visited 38 nursing units and held 40 sessions with more than 1,000 employees, community members and physicians. The primary role of the appraisers was to validate and verify information reported in Aultman’s Magnet document, a collection of stories and data describing hospital initiatives which was submitted in April 2019.

“Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to this community,” said Aultman Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Nicole Kolacz, DNP, MBA, RN, NE-BC. “To earn Magnet recognition once is a tremendous accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for our nurses. Our repeated achievement of this credential underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drive our entire staff to strive harder each day to meet the health care needs of the people we serve.”

Research shows that facilities with Magnet^® recognition have positive outcomes for patients, nurses and workplaces. Specifically, patients in Magnet hospitals experience lower mortality rates, shorter lengths of stay and increased satisfaction. Magnet facilities also consistently outperform other facilities in recruiting and retaining quality nurses, physicians and interdisciplinary professionals.

“We’re a better organization today because of the Magnet recognition we first achieved 14 years ago,” said Aultman Hospital CEO Tony Snyder. “Magnet status serves as a measurement of quality that is recognized by accrediting bodies throughout the country. But more importantly, it serves as a measure for the quality of care patients can expect when they come to Aultman.”

The Magnet Recognition Program^® recognizes excellence in five components:

• Transformational leadership.
• Structural empowerment.
• Exemplary professional practice.
• New knowledge, innovations or improvements.
• Empirical outcomes.

Aultman’s Magnet^® recognition is valid for four years. The ANCC is the largest and most prominent nursing credentialing organization in the United States.

About Aultman Health Foundation
The Aultman Health Foundation is a nonprofit health care organization serving Stark and surrounding counties. The integrated health care system includes Aultman Hospital, Aultman Orrville Hospital, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital, the locally managed health insurance provider AultCare, The Aultman Foundation and Aultman College. With 1,032 beds, over 800 active physicians and a team of more than 7,000 employees, Aultman is Stark County's largest provider of health care services. For more information, visit www.aultman.org.

About ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program
The Magnet Recognition Program — administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world — identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program serves as the gold standard for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/magnet.