UCI Health — Orange emergency department nationally recognized for nursing quality, innovation
Hospital just one of 100 in U.S. to receive 2025 Emergency Nurses Association Lantern Award
Orange, Calif. — The emergency department at UCI Health — Orange, formerly known as UCI Medical Center, has received the 2025 Emergency Nurses Association Lantern Award. It is one of just 100 hospitals in the nation to be awarded this year.
The award represents a commitment to quality, safety and a positive culture.
“Our nurses consistently demonstrate extraordinary leadership, clinical excellence and advocacy that truly makes a difference,” said Colette Baeza, MPH, BSN, director of UCI Health Emergency & Trauma Services.
“This award validates our ongoing commitment to advancing emergency nursing practice through evidence-based care, continuous improvement, and fostering a supportive work environment.”
OC’s only level 1 trauma center
UCI Health — Orange is home to Orange County’s only level I adult and level II pediatric trauma center and gold level 1 geriatric emergency department. It is also the busiest trauma center in the county.
The emergency department is also a designated receiving center for patients experiencing stroke and home to the county's only American Burn Association-verified burn center. Other emergency departments in the region often refer their complex cases to UCI Health ― Orange because of the team’s expertise and experience.
Nursing excellence
UCI Health — Orange is also a five-time Magnet® designated hospital, a testament to its sustained excellence in nursing practice, quality outcomes and professional development.
“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.
For more information on this year’s Lantern Award recipients, visit the Emergency Nurses Association website.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,317-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, its flagship hospital in Orange, Calif., the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves nearly 5.7 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).