Magnet® designated hospitals in the U.S. – A brief overview

By Julia Köppen BScN, MScPH, Technische Universität Berlin

Since March 2021 (see issue 1) nine additional hospitals in the U.S. received Magnet® designation resulting in 561 hospitals around the globe (as of July 29th, 2021). The number of 14 Magnet hospitals outside the U.S. remained stable, therefore the focus in this issue is on the U.S.
​
The first Magnet hospital, the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, received its designation in 1994, followed by the Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey (1995), and the Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia (1995). These three hospitals are re-certified six times until today. Six more hospitals followed in the 1990s which hold their Magnet status to this date. Two of them are Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Jersey, and The Miriam Hospital, Rhode Island which are twinning partners for two European hospitals.

Currently, 8,9% of all hospitals in the U.S. (n=6,090 as of May 2021) are Magnet® hospitals. Among the 35 best U.S. hospitals, 34 are Magnet recognized (own search).
The majority of Magnet hospitals are located in the U.S., but they are unevenly distributed across the country. In total, 47 states plus Washington D.C. have Magnet hospitals, while only three states (Nevada, New Mexico, Utah) have not. Over half of the Magnet hospitals are located in seven states (Texas, 54; Illinois, 43; California, 42; Ohio, 40; Pennsylvania, 38; Ney York, 36; and New Jersey, 33), although, these are also mostly the states with the highest population in the U.S. Based on the population New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois have the most Magnet hospitals (approx. 1 Magnet hospital per 270,000 to 290,000 inhabitants) (own calculation).
And for all movie fans, one hospital is situated in the City Sleepy Hollow in the state of New York, but how this excellent hospital could heal the headless horsemen remains a mystery. 

Most data are based on the information provided by ANCC. No liability for the correctness of the given values in the text.