Emory Decatur Hospital’s emergency department has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) Lantern Award, which recognizes accomplishments in incorporating evidence-based practice and innovation into emergency care. The award also highlights the team’s commitment to quality, safety and providing a healthy work environment.

“We are extremely honored to see the great work in our emergency department recognized with this prestigious award,” says Jen Schuck, CEO of Emory Decatur, Emory Hillandale and Emory Long-Term Acute Care hospitals. “I am proud of our emergency department, including our nurses, for playing such a key role in our promise of delivering high-quality and compassionate care.”

The emergency department at Emory Decatur Hospital treats nearly 70,000 patients each year. As part of its application, the emergency department highlighted the addition of a provider-nurse team at the point of entry, allowing patients to be immediately evaluated and continuously tracked throughout their stay. The result has been a reduction in average time-to-provider-seen scores from 98 minutes to nine minutes and left-without-being-seen scores from 9% to under 1%.

In addition, turnaround times for both admissions and discharges at the 31-bed emergency department were significantly reduced, leading to a surge in patient satisfaction scores despite an 11% increase in emergency department volume.

”Emory Decatur Hospital’s emergency department is a recipient of this award for demonstrating dynamic and collaborative patient-centered care that fosters a culture of continuous improvement and shared ownership to improve the patient experience,” says Jason Betts, DNP, RN, director of patient care services in the emergency department at Emory Decatur Hospital. “The Lantern Award is a testament of our nursing team’s relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in emergency care every day.”

Once received, Emory Decatur Hospital’s Lantern Award will be on display in the emergency department. As a recipient, Emory Decatur Hospital will be recognized in upcoming ENA publications, on the ENA website and during Emergency Nursing 2025, the association’s annual conference in New Orleans in September.

Applicants can apply for the Lantern Award every three years.

About Emory Decatur Hospital

Emory Decatur Hospital, one of 11 Emory Healthcare hospitals, is a 451-bed facility located on North Decatur Road in Decatur, Georgia. Emory University School of Medicine faculty, private practice physicians and Emory Specialty Associates physicians care for patients at Emory Decatur, along with more than 2,500 staff. Services include emergency medicine, oncology, heart and vascular care including stroke, maternity care, orthopaedics, behavioral health, a weight loss center and a medical fitness center, among others.