Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital Receives Magnet Recognition

Marriottsville, Maryland, December 15, 2008 – Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital, part of Bon Secours Richmond Health System, received Magnet Recognition® status on December 15. Magnet Hospital designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) recognizes hospitals and health care organizations that provide excellence in nursing.

The designation comes after three years of planning and strategic development and submission of more than 3,000 pages of written documentation by the St. Mary’s team, and a rigorous three-day appraisal visit to St. Mary’s by the ANCC.

“This designation provides us with an opportunity to share what we’ve learned along the way as well as our best practices. It also provides us with an excellent opportunity to learn from others,” said Francine Barr, Bon Secours vice president of patient care services and chief nursing executive at St. Mary’s Hospital. “Our nurses have such a positive impact on our community and I’m so pleased that they are receiving the recognition they deserve.”

Only about five percent of the nation’s health care organizations have achieved Magnet Recognition® status. St. Mary’s Hospital is one of only eleven hospitals in Virginia to receive Magnet recognition and the first Bon Secours hospital to achieve this designation.

Bon Secours Health System, Inc. based in Marriottsville, Maryland, is a $2.6 billion dollar not-for-profit Catholic health system that owns, manages or joint ventures 18 acute care, 5 long term care, 5 assisted living and independent living and other facilities, primarily on the East Coast. Bon Secours Health System consists of more than 20,000 caregivers helping people in communities in eight states. Its vision is to be recognized for its leadership in justice, transforming the communities in which it serves and works into places of health and hope, and being a prophetic voice for systemic U.S. health reform and a more humane world.