TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Sterling Council today announced the three organizations that will receive the prestigious Governor's Sterling Award for 2010. Florida Hospital (Orlando), James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics (Tampa), and South Miami Hospital will be honored at the Governor's Sterling Award Banquet at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes on Friday, June 4, 2010. This year is unprecedented in that all the recipients are in the healthcare sector.

"I am honored to recognize this year's Sterling Award recipients," said Governor Crist. "This year's winners have demonstrated their commitment to improving healthcare in Florida. The process of competing for the award alone encourages organizations to pursue excellence and improve service.

For 18 years, the Governor's Sterling Award has recognized organizations and businesses in Florida that have successfully achieved performance excellence within their management and operations. This year's recipients of this coveted award are:

• Florida Hospital (Orlando) is a faith-based health system committed to providing whole person care through an integrated delivery network in partnership with physicians and caregivers. The 2,188 acute care beds are located on seven campuses throughout the Greater Orlando tri-county area with services delivered in the inpatient, outpatient and emergency care settings. Comprised of a caring team of 16,150 health professionals, Florida Hospital is the second largest, non-governmental, private employer in Central Florida. Alongside the Florida Hospital staff members are 2,913 volunteers who gave 283,500 hours of service, or the equivalent of $4.6 million, to Florida Hospital in 2008. Florida Hospital has become the preferred hospital in Central Florida and the busiest (based on admissions) privately owned hospital in the nation according to a 2007 American Hospital Association Survey. Florida Hospital's "5 Year Overall Survival Rate for Cancer" (Breast, Prostate, Tongue, Ovary, Lung-Non Small) has outperformed the National Cancer Programs comparison from 2003 through 2008 in each area. Florida Hospital's competency for innovation has been a catalyst for several industry advances such as the Global Robotic Institute, Nicholson Surgical Institute, the Healthy 100 Campaign, and a GetWell network that facilitates direct patient interaction with hospital departments through the television in the patient's room. In addition, Florida Hospital is the first pediatric emergency department in the nation to be lit totally by ambient lighting. In 2009, Florida Hospital received the Joint Commission's "Gold Seal of Approval." Florida Hospital is a two-time recipient of the Governor's Sterling Award (1994) and the largest organization to ever receive the award.
• James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics (Tampa) is a Clinical Referral Level 1 facility and one of the most complex healthcare facilities in the Department of Veterans Affairs. The hospital has a dedicated staff of 4,783 employees. There are more than 1,500 volunteers who contribute 123,016 hours of service annually, at a monetary value of $2.4 million. In addition to the 569-bed tertiary care hospital, and the on-site Haley's Cove, long-term care facility, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics has an Outpatient Clinic in New Port Richey and three Community-Based Outpatient Clinics located in Zephyrhills, Lakeland, and Brooksville. Approximately 112,500 veterans and active-duty service members receive comprehensive health care through primary, tertiary, and long-term care in numerous disciplines. In 2001, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics became the first Veteran Affairs Hospital to receive the prestigious Magnet Hospital designation, the American Nurses Credentialing Center benchmark for excellence in nursing care. The Acute Rehabilitation average length of stay is 17.1 days as compared to other Polytrauma sites of over 30 days. This performance demonstrates leadership in rehabilitation services. In addition, the hospital has been recognized for role-model performance for their SMART Home for Traumatic Brain Injury to Rehabilitate Patients. They have received visits from numerous national and international organizations such as the University of Scotland, National Football League, and United States Marines to benchmark processes. In 2009, the hospital was recognized by the US News and World Report as one of the top 100 rehabilitation hospitals in the nation. James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics is only the second Veteran's Affairs Hospital to receive the Governor's Sterling Award.
• South Miami Hospital is a not-for-profit hospital located approximately 10 miles southwest of downtown Miami in Miami-Dade County. With a caring staff of 2,582 employees and 120 volunteers, South Miami Hospital is the second largest hospital within Baptist Health South Florida. South Miami Hospital is a 467-bed tertiary and acute care suburban hospital whose six pillars of excellence include people, service, quality, financial, growth, and community; these pillars are a driving force for their success. In 2006, South Miami Hospital become the first hospital in South Florida to provide new technology that allows board-certified physicians and experienced critical care nurses based off-site to monitor all of their critically ill patients 24/7 and intervene to prevent an adverse outcome by implementing their eICU program. In 2008, the hospital became "Best in Class" for having the most National Quality Indicators in the top 10% in the nation. As defined by Press Ganey, South Miami Hospital has achieved role model status with an overall patient satisfaction score of 89 in 2009 as compared to the national benchmark at 86. HealthStream, Inc. has identified South Miami Hospital as ranking in the top three in the nation in physician satisfaction. Response time to hospital code blue is at 1.23 minutes, which is well-above the American Hospital Association's benchmark of 2.5 minutes. South Miami Hospital is only the fourth healthcare organization in Miami-Dade County to receive the Governor's Sterling Award.

About the Governor's Sterling Award

Established in 1992, the Florida Sterling Council is a public/private not-for-profit corporation supported by the Executive Office of the Governor. Sterling's Annual Conference is exclusively designed to teach participants how to elevate performance and increase productivity. Nearly 1,000 executives and professionals gather at this event for a one-stop source for education, information and inspiration. The conference concludes with the recognition of best practices, the Team Showcase Champion and the presentation of the Governor's Sterling Awards.

The Governor's Sterling Award process is comprehensive and rigorous, and is the highest award an organization can receive for performance excellence in Florida. Organizations submit a 50-page application that is scored against the seven categories of the Sterling Criteria: Leadership; Strategic Planning; Customer and Market Focus; Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; Workforce Focus; Process Management; and Results. The Sterling Criteria are based on the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria, which are nationally recognized as the world-class standard for organizational excellence. Expertly trained Sterling examiners independently review the application, and then conduct a substantial five to six day site visit. The examiner team interviews employees at all levels of the organization and analyzes every aspect of the organization and its performance. Next, the team prepares a detailed feedback report highlighting key strengths and opportunities for improvement. The Sterling Panel of Judges then selects organizations that have successfully implemented the Sterling Criteria and are role-model organizations.

For more information on the Florida Sterling Council, contact Dione Geiger at (850) 922-5316. For other information, visit the website at www.floridasterling.com.