DATE: September 23, 2020—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM: Allison Gergley, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center
1000 Rush Drive, Salida, CO 81201 Email: allison.gergley@hrrmc.net
Tel.: 719-530-2217 Fax: 719-530-2232
HRRMC awarded Joint Commission Accreditation
SALIDA, Colo. – Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Critical Access Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.
HRRMC underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review on June 29. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with Critical Access Hospital standards, spanning several areas including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, facility maintenance and operations, medication management, and rights and responsibilities of the individual.
The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.
“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, COO, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend HRRMC for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”
“The Joint Commission accreditation has long been a strategic goal of our hospital,” says Robert Morasko, CEO at HRRMC. “I’m extremely proud of our staff for their dedication, long-term planning and preparation that went into making this a success. I would also like to recognize our board of directors for their vision and financial commitment to achieving The Joint Commission Accreditation.”
Preparation for Joint Commission Accreditation is an involved and detailed process, overseen by HRRMC’s Vice President of Patient Services April Asbury and Quality Manager Lisa Barr. Departments heavily involved in laying the groundwork included - but were not limited to – Infection Prevention and Employee Health, Pharmacy, Inpatient Services, Plant Operations and Environmental Services, Medical Records and the Emergency Department.
“We are overjoyed with the outcome of our Joint Commission survey, and could not have been as successful as we were without our teams who devoted countless hours to ensuring our patients, employees and visitors are in a safe environment whenever they step foot into our hospital,” says Vice President of Patient Services, April Asbury.
For more information, please visit jointcommission.org, and to learn more about HRRMC, please visit hrrmc.com.
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