Aurora, CO, October 14, 2008 – It’s one of the highest levels of recognition a hospital can achieve. The Medical Center of Aurora/Centennial Medical Plaza has attained Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services by the American Nurses Credential Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. The Medical Center of Aurora/Centennial Medical Plaza is the only community hospital in the Denver metro area to qualify for this coveted honor, and only 5% of all hospitals in the U.S. have earned this designation.

“Receiving this honor validates the vision, dedication and enormous efforts of our nurses and everyone in our organization,” said Carol Gregory, chief nursing officer for The Medical Center of Aurora & Centennial Medical Plaza. “We are blessed with great staff from nurses, physicians and clinicians to administrators, food service personnel, housekeepers and volunteers who truly love serving patients and improving their total health care experience. Each of our 1500 employees should be very proud of their contributions to this honor.”

The Magnet Recognition Program recognizes health care organizations that demonstrate excellence in nursing practice and adherence to national standards for the organization and delivery of nursing services. Applicants undergo a rigorous evaluation that includes extensive interviews and review of nursing services. Research shows there are clear benefits to hospitals that are awarded Magnet status and to the communities they serve:

•Healthcare consumers have more confidence in the overall quality of a hospital if it has achieved the level of excellence established by the Magnet Recognition Program.

•Magnet designated facilities consistently outperform other facilities in recruiting and retaining nurses resulting in increased stability in patient care and patient satisfaction.

•Because quality nursing is one of the most important factors in enlisting high caliber physicians and specialists, Magnet status becomes an attractive force that extends to the entire facility.

Under Gregory’s leadership, The Medical Center of Aurora & Centennial Medical Plaza established a Nursing Practice Advisory Board that is co-chaired by practicing nurses. The goal of the board is to enable nurses to define their own mission and serve as a voice for promoting nursing excellence among their peers. A model for practice was developed exclusively for The Medical Center of Aurora & Centennial Medical Plaza, but now serves as a role model for other hospital organizations nationwide.

“Since embarking on the Magnet journey, our nursing satisfaction rates have soared to among the highest of the 179 HCA hospitals across the country,” says John Hill, CEO of The Medical Center of Aurora & Centennial Medical Plaza. “In addition, physician satisfaction with overall nursing care is at an all time high of 94%. These two factors have a significant impact on our patient satisfaction ratings, and, no doubt, contributed to our Magnet designation.”

The Medical Center of Aurora & Centennial Medical Plaza’s Magnet status is valid for four years. Other awards recently presented to The Medical Center of Aurora & Centennial Medical Plaza include the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Workplace Flexibility (2007 & 2008) and a designation by Modern HealthCare as one of the Top 100 Hospitals to Work For in 2008.