Distinction places Union among top 10% of all short-term acute care hospitals for Patient Safety

(ELKTON, Md. — March 20, 2026)

ChristianaCare’s Union Hospital has earned the Healthgrades 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ for the second consecutive year (2025-2026). This recognition places Union Hospital—part of ChristianaCare’s Cecil County Campus in Maryland—among the top 10% of all short?term acute care hospitals nationwide for patient safety, as evaluated by Healthgrades.

“This recognition is a testament to our incredible Union Hospital caregivers,” said Joan Pirrung, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, campus president of Cecil County campus. “Patient safety drives everything we do, and earning this award for the second consecutive year shows the consistency and excellence of their work.”

Patient safety is essential to delivering high quality care and helps prevent avoidable injuries and complications, such as accidental falls, during hospital stays. This recognition reflects Union Hospital’s strong commitment to maintaining a safe environment that supports the best possible outcomes for every patient.

“Achieving and maintaining outstanding patient safety requires a disciplined and aligned health care team focused on doing the right thing every time,” said Arsalan Sheikh, D.O., MBA, FACE, chief medical officer at the Cecil County Campus.

“Union Hospital’s continued recognition is driven by exceptional caregivers who consistently apply evidence?based practices, reinforced through rigorous compliance and quality monitoring,” he said.

Union Hospital’s achievement is rooted in what matters most: patient outcomes. Healthgrades identifies national leaders in patient safety by evaluating risk?adjusted complication and mortality rates across approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide. This assessment spans 13 patient safety indicators (PSIs), each representing a serious, preventable complication.

“The data behind this year’s Patient Safety Excellence Award highlights how measurable improvements in safety can prevent thousands of complications,” said Dr. Alana Biggers, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. “By prioritizing evidence-based safety practices, Union Hospital is achieving better clinical outcomes and cultivating a culture where patients come first.”

To learn more about Healthgrades’ patient safety awards and methodology, visit https://www.healthgrades.com/quality/patient-safety-excellence-award.

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About ChristianaCare

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, and innovating to make high-quality care more accessible, equitable and affordable. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, four hospitals (1,440 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute and a 10-bed neighborhood hospital in West Grove, PA.

ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work. ChristianaCare is rated by Newsweek as one of the World’s Best Hospitals and is continually ranked among the best in the U.S. in national quality and safety ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.

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