PR contact: Tracey Benjamini
732-294-7090EmailFREEHOLD, NJ, January 19, 2026 – Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center’s inpatient oncology unit has earned the national Silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), an organization that shapes progressive critical care nursing practice. The inpatient oncology unit joins CentraState’s critical care and step-down units, which were awarded the Silver-level Beacon Award in 2024. Additionally, CentraState’s observation unit received AACN Beacon Recognition for Excellence – Nursing Workforce and Work Environment Modules, the highest accolade for which the unit is eligible.
The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that earn this annual award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence. All awardees demonstrate dynamic and outstanding performance in the areas of: Patient Outcomes, Nursing Workforce and Work Environment.
“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes,” said AACN President Rebekah Marsh, BSN, RN, CCRN. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”
“These latest national recognitions for CentraState Medical Center’s observation and inpatient oncology units highlight the extraordinary talent and dedication of our nursing teams,” said Cathleen Janzekovich, PhD, RN, MA, FHELA, MEDSURG-BC, NEA-BC, vice president of patient services and chief nursing officer at CentraState Medical Center. “Our nurses’ commitment to excellence ensures patients and their families receive the highest level of care and further advances the nursing profession and its unwavering focus on patient care.”
The Beacon Award for inpatient oncology reinforces CentraState’s ongoing commitment to elevate cancer care in Central New Jersey through specialists, expanded services, cutting-edge treatments and surgical techniques and a patient-centered approach, typically only found at large metropolitan cancer centers. In 2025, several patient care enhancements were made at the Statesir Cancer Center at CentraState, including a new state-of-the-art inpatient care unit for oncology and medical surgical patients; new outpatient medical oncology offices for Atlantic Medical Group Oncology and a renovated infusion suite—further expanding patient access to cancer services and specialists.
For more information about Cancer Care at Atlantic Health, visit www.atlantichealth.org/cancer-care. To learn more about the Beacon Award for Excellence, visit www.aacn.org/beacon.
About Atlantic Health
Atlantic Health is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of 24,000 team members and more than 7,779 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 14 counties and 7.5 million people.
The not-for-profit system offers more than 550 sites of care, including its eight hospitals: Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Atlantic Health Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ, Atlantic Health Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Atlantic Health Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Atlantic Health Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ and Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, NJ.
The system includes Atlantic Medical Group, part of a physician enterprise that makes up one of the largest multispecialty practices in New Jersey with more than 1,700 physicians and advance practice providers. Joined with Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners they form part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.
Atlantic Health provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 30 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Health Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Founded by Atlantic Health, the Healthcare Transformation Consortium is a partnership of seven regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability. Atlantic Health has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University, is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.