Scripps La Jolla 1st in San Diego to Win Prestigious Beacon Award

Conference Nurse

La Jolla, Calif. — Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla is proud to announce that its Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) has earned the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence, an award given by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) and specifically designed to recognize the nation’s top hospital critical care units.

Cardiac Care Unit Recognized as National Leader

Scripps La Jolla’s CCU is the first critical care unit in San Diego to receive this distinguished honor and only one of a handful of recipients in the Southern California area. The award represents extraordinary commitment to high-quality critical care standards and dedication to the exceptional care of patients and their families.


Critical care units that receive the Beacon Award have exhibited high quality standards, including exceptional care of patients and their families, as well as healthy work environments. Criteria for winning a Beacon Award includes innovation and excellence in:


  • Recruitment and retention
  • Education, training and mentoring
  • Research and evidence-based practice
  • Patient outcomes
  • Leadership and organizational ethics
  • Healing environment


“It is an honor to receive the Beacon Award, which is an affirmation of the commitment and dedication that our CCU has in providing excellent patient care,” says Mary Ellen Doyle, R.N., Scripps La Jolla vice president, chief nursing executive. “We are extremely proud of our nurses, physicians and support staff for the amazing job they do every day.”


There are 96 staff members, including 88 nurses, that work in the Scripps La Jolla CCU. The team cares for critically ill cardiac surgery and medical/respiratory patients. On a daily basis, the primary nurses facilitate and coordinate the plan of care for patients and families, in collaboration with the health care team.


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