Westchester Medical Center Nurses Earn Prestigious PRISM Award for Excellence in Medical-Surgical Care

February 11, 2026

First PRISM recognition in WMCHealth history underscores nurses’ extraordinary dedication to patient safety, quality, and compassionate care 

VALHALLA, NY – February 11, 2026 – The Medical-Surgical (Med-Surg) nursing team at Westchester Medical Center, the flagship hospital of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), has been awarded the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) PRISM Award®. This national honor recognizes exceptional practice, leadership, and patient outcomes in medical-surgical, acute care among adult and pediatric patients. Westchester Medical Center is among just 170 hospitals nationwide to receive this distinction and the first within WMCHealth to achieve this milestone.

The PRISM Award®, which stands for “Premier Recognition In the Specialty of Med-Surg,” is the first of its kind honoring med-surg nursing units in the United States and internationally. Co-sponsored by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB), PRISM recognizes effective leadership, evidence-based practice, positive patient outcomes, commitment to lifelong learning, and a healthy working environment.

“Our Medical-Surgical nurses provide exceptional care to some of our most acute and at-risk patients every day. This recognition is a reflection of their commitment to excellence and dedication to making a difference in patients’ lives,” said Phyllis M. Yezzo, DNP, RN, CPHQ, NEA-BC, Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at WMCHealth. “We are incredibly proud of this distinction, and I want to share my sincere gratitude, appreciation, and congratulations to our nurses for all that they do for our patients.”

This achievement adds to a growing list of nursing excellence across WMCHealth. Most recently, nurses at Westchester Medical Center earned the Silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), recognizing teams that exemplify high-quality patient care, professional collaboration, and environments that support both patients and staff. For more information about AMSN and the AMSN PRISM Award®, visit amsn.org or contact the association at [email protected] or 866.877.AMSN.

About The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN; www.amsn.org) is the only specialty nursing organization dedicated to medical-surgical nursing practice. Its mission is to promote excellence in medical-surgical nursing.

About The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board
The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB; www.msncb.org) is a professional organization whose mission is to validate excellence in medical-surgical nursing.

About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in New York’s Hudson Valley region, serving nearly 2.5 million residents across more than 6,000 square miles. A 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, including nine hospitals on seven campuses and 60 ambulatory care sites, WMCHealth is home to the region’s only Level I (adult and pediatric) trauma center and the only Academic Medical Center between New York City and Albany. The Network employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians – seeing nearly 300,000 unique patients every year, and is the State’s largest Medicaid provider north of New York City, serving 1 in 3 Medicaid patients in the region. WMCHealth also features Level II and Level III trauma centers, a nationally renowned pediatric hospital that is the region’s only acute care children’s hospital and leading pediatric hospital across the country, the region’s only Level IV NICU, the region’s only Organ Transplant Center, several community hospitals, and dozens of specialized institutes and centers. The Network also includes Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, Burn Center, skilled nursing, and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook or Instagram.

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