Three Atlantic Health Emergency Departments recognized for excellence

MORRISTOWN, UNION & FREEHOLD, N.J. JULY 28, 2026 – Three Atlantic Health emergency departments have been selected as recipients of the 2026 ENA Lantern Award, which recognizes exceptional innovation and evidence-based practice improvements that resulted in improved patient care and team member well-being. 

Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center's Sameth Emergency Department, Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center Emergency Services - Union Campus, and Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center’s Emergency Department join 126 other emergency departments across the country recognized as 2026 recipients of the award, which is presented in three-year cycles to emergency departments that demonstrate sustained excellence in emergency nursing and patient care. 

“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 Senior Vice President & System Chief Nursing Executive, Cody Legler, DNP, APRN, NEA-BC, FAONL. “This honor underscores not only their clinical expertise, but also their compassion, innovation, and unwavering commitment to the communities we serve.” 

This marks the sixth consecutive time Atlantic Health Overlook’s Union Emergency Department has received the award, making it the only emergency department in the world to earn this distinction in every cycle since the program's inception in 2011. Serving about 36,000 patients annually, the 23-bed Emergency Department in Union is the cornerstone of the Atlantic Health Overlook Union Campus, a multi-specialty medical complex. Open 24/7, the department offers emergency and advanced cardiovascular care, comprehensive stroke care, on-site laboratory and radiology services, and community outreach referrals.  

Atlantic Health Morristown’s Sameth Emergency Department earned its third Lantern Award, recognizing its high-volume, state-of-the-art care for more than 110,000 patients in 2025. As an ACEP-accredited Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department within a 735-bed, Magnet-designed, Level 1 Trauma Center, the Sameth ED also supports emergency medicine, nursing, and pharmacy residencies, reinforcing its commitment to clinical excellence and education. 

Atlantic Health CentraState’s Emergency Department, which earned the Lantern Award for a second consecutive cycle, provides high-quality care to individuals of all ages. Serving more than 47,000 patients in 2025, the department is recognized as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center and accredited Chest Pain Center. Young patients receive specialized care in the Hersh Pediatric Center at Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center, which features a dedicated pediatric emergency room staffed by board-certified pediatric emergency physicians and pediatric nurses.  

“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, DNP, MHA, RN, CEN, NEA-BC. “Atlantic Health’s ED’s are three of 126 emergency departments to achieve a Lantern Award this year.” 

For more information on this year’s Lantern Award recipients, visit the Emergency Nurses Association website. 

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 25,000 team members and more than 5,667 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 almost 2,000 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 4,000 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.

Atlantic Health provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 26 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 Atlantic Health Morristown and Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.