Hartford, CT – Connecticut Children’s has been named as a Best Children’s Hospital for the 6th consecutive year by the Women’s Choice Award®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare.
“This award is one of extremely high value. It represents the voice of an important group of individuals who are often the primary health care decision makers in the household,” said Jim Shmerling, DHA, FACHE, President & CEO of Connecticut Children’s. “There is no greater privilege than caring for a child. We are honored that women recognize we are different. We care for children with the kind of compassion, kindness, skill and expertise you won’t find anywhere else.”
Additionally, Connecticut Children’s earned the Best Children’s Emergency Care Award for receiving a perfect score for the level of care and expertise offered in our Emergency Department. This recognition is especially meaningful for Connecticut Children’s team members as they continue to tackle the downstream effects of the pandemic which include unusually high numbers of children fighting RSV, influenza and COVID.
“The pandemic continues to present especially challenging and unique circumstances that no one anticipated early on. I couldn’t be more proud of our team members for the resilience and bravery they have demonstrated every single day. These two awards speak to their professionalism, their dedication to our patients and families and their strength and numerous sacrifices to care for children,” said Shmerling. “Connecticut Children’s is committed to being a trusted resource and dedicated health system for all children. These awards recognize and validate that promise.”
Connecticut Children’s was recognized as a hospital that has met the highest standards for innovative and transformative pediatric health care.
“Our Best Children’s Hospitals award raises awareness of the top quality care offered for children. The best hospitals embrace families as an integral part of healthcare and improving children’s outcomes. ” said Delia Passi, CEO and founder of the Women’s Choice Award.
When it comes to healthcare, children are different and need health care designed specifically to meet their needs.
“We found in our studies that 75% percent of women associate children’s hospitals with care for seriously ill children and nearly 50% of women are unfamiliar with the full offerings of a children’s hospital,” said Delia Passi, founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award, and former publisher of Working Woman and Working Mother magazines. “Our research also revealed that 1 in 4 moms (25%) do not know which Children’s Hospital in their community is the best one. Our goal at the Women’s Choice Award is to help moms—and parents—make educated, confident decisions about where to take their children for a wide range of healthcare services.”
Children’s hospitals are specifically designed to take care of the child through a family-centered approach to medicine and serve kids at each stage of growth and development, requiring differently sized equipment and a range of expertise. As teaching hospitals, children’s hospitals train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists to care for children.
The Best Children’s Hospitals designation is based on a point system and self-reported data from more than 60 children’s hospitals in the nation.
“It is our intent to identify children’s hospitals that mothers and fathers can take their children to with the expectation that they will receive excellent and comprehensive care. The award criteria examine five different facility areas to determine which hospital is eligible for the Women’s Choice Award,” said Passi. “These areas are Pediatric Services, Technology and Family Resources, Board- Certified Staff, Nurses and Support Staff and the facility’s Commitment to Quality. 0-5 points are assigned to each measure with the exception of NICU, which earns five points for a Level IV and two points for a Level III. Points for hospital staffing were assigned based on the number of beds per board-certified pediatric professional in the following specialties: Anesthesiology, Radiology, Orthopedics, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Pulmonology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Urology, Neurology, Oncology and Neonatology with those having the least average beds scoring the most points. Each of these results was also weighted based on the average beds per physician for all reporting hospitals. Lastly, up to six additional points were provided for high levels of professional, nursing and support staff.”
Additionally, a children’s hospital earned the Best Pediatric Emergency Care Award if they have a dedicated pediatric emergency department, a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and a high rating (4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) for their Emergency Department staffing.
“Our Best Children’s Hospitals award helps raise awareness of the top-quality care offered for children—not only the critically ill—with specialists, services and technologies for their unique needs,” said Passi.
For more information on the 2023 Best Children’s Hospitals visit https://womenschoiceaward.com/best-childrens
mbuchanan [at] connecticutchildrens.org (Monica Buchanan), Senior Director, Strategic Communications
Connecticut Children’s
352-219-0860
About Connecticut Children’s
Connecticut Children’s is the only hospital in Connecticut dedicated exclusively to the care of children and ranked one of the best children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and a Magnet® designated hospital. Connecticut Children’s provides more than 30 pediatric specialties along with community-based programs to uniquely care for the physical, social, and emotional needs of children. Our team of pediatric experts and care coordinators bring access to breakthrough research, advanced treatments for both rare and common diseases, and innovative health and safety programs to every child. Connecticut Children’s is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to improve access to healthcare for all children through convenient locations, care alliances and partnerships.
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S CHOICE AWARD®
The Women’s Choice Award for Best Hospitals™ is a trusted referral source and coveted credential that identifies the nation’s best hospitals based on robust criteria that includes relevant clinical performance, patient satisfaction and appropriate accreditations. The Best Hospitals demonstrate exceptional ratings, providing the highest level of care and commitment to their patients’ health and well-being. The Women’s Choice Award is the only designation that takes into consideration the preferences of women when selecting a hospital. Visit http://www.womenschoiceaward.com/ to learn more.