The Emergency Nurses Association announced the recipients of the 2026 Lantern Awards July 27.

The annual honor recognizes emergency departments for their exceptional innovation and evidence-based practice. This year, a record 126 EDs earned the awards.

Within New Jersey, 17 departments nabbed the prestigious honor.

Notably, Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center Emergency Services’ Union campus is the first emergency department to receive the Lantern Award six times since the program launched in 2011, according to ENA.

“Receiving the Lantern Award across three of our emergency departments – including Union’s unprecedented sixth consecutive designation – is a powerful reflection of the extraordinary care our teams provide to tens of thousands of patients each year,” said Cody Legler, Atlantic Health‘s senior vice president and system chief nursing executive. “This honor underscores not only their clinical expertise, but also their compassion, innovation, and unwavering commitment to the communities we serve.”

New Jersey recipients of the 2026 Lantern Awards:

Atlantic Health

• CentraState Medical Center Emergency Department, Freehold
• Overlook Medical Center Emergency Services Union Campus, Union
• Morristown Medical Center, Sameth Emergency Department, Morristown

Cooper University Health Care

• Cooper University Hospital Camden Campus Emergency Department, Camden

Hackensack Meridian Health

• Bayshore Medical Center, Dr. Robert H. Harris Emergency Care Center, Holmdel
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center Main Emergency Department, Neptune
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department, Neptune
• Ocean University Medical Center Emergency Department, Brick
• Old Bridge Medical Center Emergency Department, Old Bridge
• Palisades Medical Center Emergency Department, North Bergen
• Raritan Bay Medical Center Emergency Department, Perth Amboy
• Southern Ocean Medical Center Emergency Department, Manahawkin

Inspira Health

• Inspira Medical Center Elmer Emergency Department, Elmer

RWJBarnabas Health

• Clara Maass Medical Center Emergency Department, Belleville

St. Joseph’s Health

• St. Joseph’s University Medical Center Emergency Department, Paterson
• St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center Emergency Department, Wayne

Valley Health System

• The Valley Hospital Bolger Emergency Department, Paramus

Last year, eight local departments earned Lantern Awards. In 2024, five took home the honor.

Emergency departments are invited to submit an application for the award. Honorees may re-apply three years after their prior award.

“The Lantern recognizes something incredibly special. It isn’t an award for an individual or an entire hospital—it’s a recognition earned by an emergency department and the team that powers it every day,” said ENA President Dustin Bass.

“The Lanterns reflect intentional work, measurable improvement and a culture that never stops asking to better serve patients, teams and communities,” Bass added. “That’s what excellence in emergency nursing looks like.”