Alexandria, LA – Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital is pleased to be named a 2021 Guardian of Excellence Award winner by Press Ganey. The Guardian of Excellence Award recognizes top-performing health care organizations that have scored in the 95th percentile or higher in Patient Experience. RRMC achieved this score for patient experience in its Newborn Intensive Care Unit.

The Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award is a nationally-recognized symbol of achievement in health care. This annual award honors facilities that consistently score in the top 5% of all Press Ganey facilities for each reporting period during the course of one year.

“Press Ganey is honored to recognize Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital as one of the nation’s leaders in patient experience,” said Patrick T. Ryan, chairman and chief executive officer of Press Ganey. “This award reflects an unwavering commitment to earn the trust and loyalty of patient and their families throughout unimaginable challenges.

“We are humbled by RWCH’s efforts and their ability to adapt to imperatives of COVID-19 on top of the increasing demand for consumerism in healthcare.”

This award represents an important recognition from the industry’s leader in measuring, understanding and improving the delivery of care.

“The birth of an infant is a challenge for all parents; when that infant is born prematurely or with health problems that necessitate a stay in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), parental stress increases,” said Karen Hathorn, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital Administrator. “The role of the NICU team is to help educate parents and keep them informed – the more they understand and are kept in the loop regarding their child’s care, the higher their satisfaction with the team.”

The NICU team monitors a variety of quality measures to make sure infants are safe, while receiving appropriate care and treatment.

“If parents feel as if we aren’t communicating, or that they can’t trust the care their infant receives, we have missed the mark,” Hathorn said. “The NICU is where we care for our tiniest, most fragile infants. Our team of neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, registered nurses, respiratory therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and other ancillary staff and medical specialists are integral in making sure our families feel they are an important part of the team.

“This award recognizes the family-centered care we provide 24/7/365 days a year.”