Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford Achieve Magnet® Recognition
Magnet recognition is the highest honor for nursing excellence.
For release September 25, 2019

Stanford, Calif. – Stanford Children’s Health announced today that it has achieved Magnet recognition as a reflection of its exemplary professional nursing practice, interprofessional teamwork and preeminent patient care. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence.
With this credential, Stanford Children’s Health joins the global community of Magnet-recognized organizations. Just 8 percent of U.S. health care organizations out of more than 6,300 U.S. hospitals have achieved Magnet recognition.
“Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to our patients and their families,” said Kelly Johnson, PhD, RN, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer. “This achievement underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drives our entire staff.”
To achieve initial Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership, staff and providers. This process includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation, an on-site visit, and a review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.
Magnet-recognized health care organizations have proven to provide specific benefits to the communities they serve and the people who work there, including the following:
- Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information
- Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates
- Higher job satisfaction among nurses
- Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions
“We are exceptionally proud of reaching this milestone—a result of tireless dedication from our nursing and patient care leadership and everyone who delivers care at Stanford Children’s Health,” said Paul King, president and chief executive officer. “To have opened our new hospital in 2017 and now, less than two years later, meeting this extraordinary benchmark is a testament to the unparalleled quality and potential of our organization.”
Media contact:
Samantha Beal
sbeal@stanfordchildrens.org
(650) 498-7056