The Emergency Nurses Association awarded a record-breaking 126 emergency departments with the 2026 Lantern Award.
To receive a Lantern Award, EDs must submit a comprehensive application which measures how they excel in meeting challenges, including ED boarding, improving pediatric readiness and enhancing nurse professional development, according to a July 27 news release. ENA Lantern Award Committee reviews and scores applications based on evidence-based practices and innovation in emergency care. Learn more here. The Lantern Awards have been awarded annually since 2011.
Last year, 96 hospitals received a Lantern Award.
This year, four hospitals in Hawaii, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Wyoming were the first in their states to be awarded Lanterns. Atlantic Overlook Medical Center Emergency Services Union (N.J.) Campus is the first ED to receive a Lantern Award six times since the program launched. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is the only hospital outside the U.S. to receive a Lantern Award.
Here are the 126 hospitals that were awarded for ED excellence by state:
Arizona
- Banner Estrella Medical Center Emergency Department (Phoenix)
Arkansas
- Washington Regional Medical Center Emergency Department (Fayetteville)
California
- Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Emergency Department
- Children’s Hospital Orange County Emergency Department
- El Camino Health Emergency Department Mountain View
- Kaiser Permanente Emergency Department Sacramento Medical Center
- Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center Emergency Department
- Marc and Laura Andreessen Adult Emergency Department at Stanford Health Care (Palo Alto)
- Marc and Laura Andreessen Pediatric Emergency Department at Stanford Health Care (Palo Alto)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital Emergency Department (Los Angeles)
- Palomar UC San Diego Health Escondido Emergency Department
- Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Emergency Department
- Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Emergency Department
- Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Emergency Department (Solvang)
- Sharp Grossmont Hospital Emergency Department (La Mesa)
- Sharp Memorial Hospital Emergency Department (San Diego)
- Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento Emergency Department
- Sutter Roseville Medical Center Emergency Department
- UCLA Santa Monica Nethercutt Emergency Department
Colorado
- Children’s Hospital Colorado Emergency Department, Anschutz Medical Campus (Aurora)
- Southmoor Emergency Room and Urgent Care (Denver)
- Vail Health Emergency Department
Connecticut
- Norwalk Hospital Emergency Department
- St. Mary’s Hospital Emergency Department (Waterbury)
Delaware
- ChristianaCare Wilmington Hospital Emergency Department
District of Columbia
- MedStar Washington Hospital Center Trauma and Burn Emergency Resuscitation Department
Florida
- AdventHealth Dade City Emergency Department
- AdventHealth Lake Mary Emergency Department
- AdventHealth Winter Park Emergency Department
- Baptist Hospital of Miami Emergency Department
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Emergency Department (Miami)
- Cape Coral Hospital Emergency Department
- Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital Emergency Department
- Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH Pediatric Emergency Department (Tampa)
- Naples Comprehensive Health Baker Emergency Department
- Naples Comprehensive Health Bonita Springs Freestanding Emergency Department
- Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Emergency Department (Miami)
Georgia
- Arthur M. Blank Emergency Department (Atlanta)
- Emory Johns Creek Hospital Emergency Department
- Northeast Georgia Medical Center-Barrow Emergency Department (Winder)
- Northeast Georgia Medical Center-Gainesville Emergency Department
- Piedmont Athens Regional Emergency Department
- Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center Emergency Department (LaGrange)
Hawaii
- The Queen’s Medical Center Emergency Department (Honolulu)
Illinois
- Advocate Condell Medical Center Emergency Department (Libertyville)
- Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital Emergency Department (Barrington)
- Advocate Sherman Hospital Emergency Department (Elgin)
- Ascension St. Alexius Medical Center Emergency Department (Hoffman Estates)
- Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital Emergency Department (Winfield)
- Northwestern Medicine Grayslake Freestanding Emergency Department
- Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital Emergency Department
- Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Emergency Department (DeKalb)
Indiana
- Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital-Emergency Medicine & Trauma Center (Indianapolis)
Kentucky
- Centerpoint Health-Georgetown Emergency Department
- St. Elizabeth Healthcare Fort Thomas Emergency Department
- St. Elizabeth Healthcare Grant County Emergency Department (Williamstown)
Massachusetts
- Emerson Health Emergency Department (Concord)
Minnesota
- Regions Hospital Emergency Department (St. Paul)
Nebraska
- CHI Health Good Samaritan Emergency Department (Kearney)
- Children’s Nebraska Emergency Department (Omaha)
New Hampshire
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Emergency Department (Lebanon)
New Jersey
- Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center Emergency Department (Freehold)
- Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center, Sameth Emergency Department
- Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center Emergency Services Union Campus
- Clara Maass Medical Center Emergency Department, RWJBarnabas Health (Belleville)
- Cooper University Health Care Camden Campus Emergency Department
- Hackensack Meridian Health Old Bridge Medical Center Emergency Department
- Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center Emergency Department (Perth Amboy)
- Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center Emergency Department (Manahawkin)
- HMH Bayshore Medical Center, Dr. Robert H. Harris Emergency Care Center (Holmdel)
- HMH Palisades Medical Center Emergency Department (North Bergen)
- Inspira Medical Center Elmer Emergency Department
- Jersey Shore University Medical Center Main Emergency Department (Neptune)
- Jersey Shore University Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department (Neptune)
- Ocean University Medical Center Emergency Department (Brick)
- St. Joseph’s Health University Medical Center Emergency Department (Paterson)
- St. Joseph’s Health Wayne Medical Center Emergency Department
- The Valley Hospital Bolger Emergency Department (Paramus)
New York
- Glen Cove Hospital Emergency Department
- Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Emergency Department, Northwell
- New York Presbyterian Westchester Hospital Emergency Department (Bronxville)
- Northwell Health Mather Hospital Emergency Department (Port Jefferson)
- Syosset Hospital Emergency Department
- The Mount Sinai Hospital-Saul Family Emergency Department (New York)
- White Plains Hospital Emergency Department
North Carolina
- Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Adult Emergency Department (Charlotte)
- Onslow Memorial Hospital Emergency Department (Jacksonville)
- UNC Health Pardee Emergency Department (Hendersonville)
Ohio
- Bethesda Arrow Springs Emergency Department-TriHealth (Lebanon)
- Cleveland Clinic Main Campus Emergency Department
- Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital Emergency Department (Garfield Heights)
- Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital Emergency Department
- Good Samaritan Hospital, Western Ridge Emergency Department-TriHealth (Cincinnati)
- McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Emergency Department-TriHealth (Oxford)
- Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital Emergency Department
- MetroHealth Medical Center Brecksville Emergency Department
- MetroHealth Medical Center Cleveland Heights Emergency Department
- MetroHealth Medical Center Main Campus Emergency Department (Cleveland)
- MetroHealth Medical Center Parma Emergency Department
- The Christ Hospital-Liberty Township Emergency Department
- The Christ Hospital Emergency Department (Cincinnati)
Pennsylvania
- The Goodman Emergency Trauma Center at Jefferson Abington Hospital
- Jefferson Torresdale Hospital Emergency Department (Philadelphia)
- Mount Nittany Medical Center Emergency Department (State College)
- Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital Emergency Department
- The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Emergency Department (Philadelphia)
- UPMC Hamot Emergency Department (Erie)
Rhode Island
- The Miriam Hospital Emergency Department (Providence)
- Yale New Haven Westerly Hospital Emergency Department
South Carolina
- Lexington Medical Center Emergency Department (West Columbia)
- MUSC Ashley River Tower Emergency Department (Charleston)
- Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital Emergency Department
Texas
- Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital Emergency Department (San Antonio)
- Children’s Medical Center Plano Emergency Department
- Christus Children’s Emergency Department (San Antonio)
- Memorial Hermann the Woodlands Medical Center Emergency Department
- Methodist Hospital Texsan Emergency Department (San Antonio)
- Methodist Midlothian Medical Center Emergency Department
- UT Southwestern Medical Center-William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital Emergency Department (Dallas)
Virginia
- Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Emergency Department
- Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Emergency Department (Fairfax)
- Reston Hospital Center Emergency Department
Wisconsin
- Froedtert Hospital Emergency Department (Milwaukee)
- Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire Emergency Department
Wyoming
- Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Emergency Department
United Arab Emirates
- Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Emergency Department
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