A Commitment to Excellence.

I recently returned from the 2011 American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC’s) National Magnet Conference where more than 7,000 nurses gathered to hear presentations and view posters celebrating excellence in nursing and health care. The ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program recognizes health-care organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice. Consumers rely on Magnet designation as the ultimate credential for high quality nursing. Developed by the ANCC (2011), Magnet is the leading source of successful nursing practices and strategies worldwide. According to Craig Luzinski (2011), director of the Magnet Recognition Program, “It is not a prize or award—it is a performance-driven recognition credential that brings both external prestige and wide-ranging internal benefits” (p. 389). In addition to the benefits of Magnet status on outcomes such as quality improvement, safety, nurse engagement, satisfaction, and retention, the challenging process of pursuing and achieving Magnet recognition is noteworthy in that it requires a culture shift throughout the health-care organization demonstrating a commitment to excellence. We invite readers to respond to the contents of this journal issue or share comments on other topics related to natural, safe, and healthy birth. Responses will be published as a letter to the editor. Please send comments to Wendy Budin, Editor-in-Chief (ude.uyn@nidub.ydnew). Similarly, when a hospital makes the commitment to implement the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” required for achieving Baby-Friendly designation, as outlined by UNICEF/WHO (Baby-Friendly USA, 2010a), a culture shift is required within the entire maternity department as well as support from the hospital administration. As stated by Baby-Friendly USA (2010b), The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding. The BFHI assists hospitals in giving mothers the information, confidence, and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies or feeding formula safely, and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so. (para. 4) When a hospital makes the commitment to implement the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” required for achieving Baby-Friendly designation, a culture shift is required within the entire maternity department. Recently, the hospital where I work (NYU Langone Medical Center, a Magnet hospital redesignated in 2009) became one of the 119 U.S. health-care facilities to earn the prestigious Baby-Friendly hospital designation. This lengthy journey requires the staff to thoroughly evaluate their current practices and adopt policies and procedures that lead to improved health outcomes for mothers and babies. To achieve the Baby-Friendly hospital designation, the health-care facility must complete all of the requirements and ultimately demonstrate during an on-site assessment that the facility has correctly integrated all of the “Ten Steps To Successful Breastfeeding” into its practice for healthy newborns (Baby-Friendly USA, 2010c). I congratulate NYU Langone Medical Center on this outstanding achievement that demonstrates their ongoing commitment to excellence. For more information about Baby-Friendly USA and implementing the UNICEF/WHO Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, visit http://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/