St. Pete Hospital Recognized for Excellence in Emergency Nursing

St. Petersburg, FL (July 24, 2025) – Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital’s emergency department is a recipient of the 2025 Emergency Nurses Association’s (ENA) Lantern Award, which recognizes leadership, practice, education and advocacy that resulted in improved patient care and staff well- being. Less than 2% of hospitals nationwide are selected for this prestigious award.

“These recipients demonstrate excellence in practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation that make their departments exceptional places for patients receiving care as well as for the staff working in them,” said ENA President Ryan Oglesby, PhD, MHA, RN, CEN, CFRN, NEA- BC. Fewer than 100 emergency departments were selected this year.

“Our team has moved mountains to ensure that patient care takes top priority in their daily work, and we want our community to know that they have access to quality healthcare right here in St. Petersburg,” said Lorraine Parker, Chief Nursing Officer at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital.

The team at the Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital worked hard on two initiatives, Pinellas Matters and Provider in Triage.

Pinellas Matters brings hope to patients battling addiction by embedding recovery specialists directly into the emergency department. These specialists provide real-time support, referrals, and even bed-to-bed rehab transfers when possible. Simultaneously, our Provider in Triage project tackles crowding and low patient satisfaction head-on. By placing a dedicated provider in triage, patients now receive timely medical evaluations, enhanced testing, and faster discharge decisions. These efforts are two of many ways we strive to meet our department’s dual commitment: meeting people where they are and guiding them toward where they need to be.

Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital’s Lantern Award will be on display in the emergency department. As a recipient, Orlando Health Bayfront 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, September 17-20.

For more information on this year’s Lantern Award recipients, visit the Emergency Nurses Association website.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health is a private not-for-profit, integrated academic healthcare system with $12 billion of assets under management, that serves the southeastern United States – including Florida and Alabama – and Puerto Rico. With corporate offices in Orlando, Florida the system provides a complete continuum of care across a network of medical centers and institutes, community and specialty hospitals, physician practices, urgent care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and long-term and behavioral health care services. Founded more than 100 years ago, Orlando Health’s mission is to improve the health and the quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve. The system provided nearly $1.7 billion in community impact in the form of community benefit programs and services, Medicare shortfalls, bad debt, community-building activities and capital investments in FY 23, the most recent period for which the information is available. For more information, visit orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter.)

About the Emergency Nurses Association

The Emergency Nurses Association is the premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing through advocacy, education, research, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA has proven to be an indispensable resource to the global emergency nursing community. With nearly 45,000 members worldwide, ENA advocates for patient safety, develops industry-leading practice standards and guidelines, and guides emergency health care public policy. ENA members have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness, and all aspects of emergency care. Additional information is available at www.ena.org.