The American Nurses Association announced today that Poudre Valley Hospital has received for the third year in a row the association’s top award for consistently achieving outstanding patient outcomes that are tied directly to high quality nursing care.

This is the third year in a row that PVH received the national honor. The Fort Collins hospital was the first and only recipient of the award in 2008, the first year it was presented.

This year five other hospitals also received the award in various categories. More than 1,500 U.S. hospitals were eligible.

The ANA presented the awards during its annual conference on National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) in New Orleans.

“Poudre Valley Hospital exemplifies the commitment, leadership, data analysis, and efficient use of resources that are needed by nursing executives and bedside nurses to produce the best possible patient outcomes,” said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton. “The NDNQI program is all about using evidence from the reporting of outcomes to improve nursing care practices, staffing and systems for care delivery, and Poudre Valley Hospital has achieved that at a high level.”

Craig Luzinski, PVH’s chief nursing officer, said the award reflects the personal commitment of the hospital’s nurses and support staff members to provide world-class care. PVH employs about 1,000 registered nurses.

“They are deeply involved in quality improvement efforts and offering the most advanced patient care practices,” he said. “Our patients and the community are the ones who benefit.”