Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center's emergency department earned the 2026 Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), placing it among 126 EDs nationwide recognized for leadership, innovation and patient care improvements.

The ENA announced the record-breaking class on July 27. The 2026 group is the largest since the award's creation in 2011, surpassing 96 recipients in 2025 and 94 in 2024. Seven Texas emergency departments made the list, and Memorial Hermann The Woodlands was not among the 2024 recipients, according to ENA records.

The hospital's application highlighted a program called the ED Flower Journey, which focuses on intentional communication, bedside presence and family engagement to keep patients informed and build trust, Hello Woodlands reported. The application also cited improvements in timely antibiotic administration and quality and safety outcomes.

"We strive to plant a seed of hope to all who enter our doors," Denise Martin, trauma program director and emergency services director at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, said in a Tuesday, Sept. 8, statement.

Lisa Do, the emergency department's clinical manager, said in the same statement that the recognition belongs to the full team of nurses, technicians, providers and interdisciplinary partners.

ENA President Dustin Bass called the award "a recognition earned by an emergency department and the team that powers it every day." The ENA, which has 40,000 members worldwide, describes the Lantern Award as the only national honor specifically for emergency departments. It is named for Florence Nightingale, known as the "Lady of the Lamp" for tending to wounded soldiers by lantern light during the Crimean War.

To earn the Lantern Award, departments submit a comprehensive application covering five areas: leadership-practice, leadership-operations, education, advocacy and research-practice. A scoring committee reviews each submission, and departments must reach a minimum composite score of 80 percent. The designation lasts three years.

What's next

The ENA will formally recognize recipients during its annual conference, Emergency Nursing 2026, in Phoenix from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1.