Syracuse, NY (November 3, 2017) – St. Joseph’s Health Hospital has been named a 2017 Guardian of Excellence AwardSM winner for Neonatal Intensive Care Patient Experience by Press Ganey®. The Guardian of Excellence Award recognizes top-performing health care organizations that have consistently achieved the 95th percentile or above in their performance.

The Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award is a nationally-recognized symbol of achievement in health care. Presented annually, the award honors clients who consistently sustained performance in the top 5% of all Press Ganey clients for each reporting period during the course of one year.

Only six hospitals across the country received the Neonatal Intensive Care Patient Experience award (including St. Joseph’s), out of 187 hospitals that are surveyed nationwide. St. Joseph’s is the only hospital in New York State to receive the Guardian of Excellence award for NICU Patient Experience, and the only hospital in Central New York to receive any Guardian of Excellence award from Press Ganey this year.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital is a Level III NICU, equipped and staffed 24 hours a day with registered nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners and board-certified neonatologists specially trained in the care of infants born prematurely and/or with special needs. The NICU nursery is located on the same floor as Labor and Delivery, the Mother-Baby Unit and the Birth Place. St. Joseph’s is also the only Baby Friendly® designated hospital in Central New York.

“Each year, sick or premature infants from 16 Central New York counties receive care in our NICU,” said Leslie P. Luke, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health. “This award represents an important recognition from the industry’s leader in measuring, understanding and improving the patient experience.”




St. Joseph’s NICU Team (from L to R):


Carol Weeks, MS, RNC-NIC, Bonnie Alsever (secretary), Lori Gass, RN, BSN, Angela Dains, RN, BSN, Cheryl Shanahan, RN, Susan Kelly, BSN, RNC-NIC, Cathy Lemura, NNP-BC, Dr. Jonathan Chai, Christina Adams, RN

"We are proud to partner with St. Joseph’s Health and their Neonatal Intensive Care team,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. “This award is a testament to the organization’s leadership in delivering patient-centered care. By achieving and sustaining this level of excellence, St. Joseph’s continues to demonstrate their commitment to advancing the overall quality of health care.”

Representatives from St. Joseph’s Health are attending the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award ceremony, which is being held November 1-3 at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

For more information about St. Joseph’s award-winning NICU, visit www.sjhsyr.org/neonatal-intensive-care-unit.

About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a member of Trinity Health.

About Press Ganey

Press Ganey is a leading provider of patient experience measurement, performance analytics and strategic advisory solutions for health care organizations across the continuum of care. With more than 30 years of experience, Press Ganey is recognized as a pioneer and thought leader in patient experience measurement and performance improvement solutions. Our mission is to help health care organizations reduce patient and caregiver suffering while improving the safety, quality and experience of care. For more information, visit www.pressganey.com.