Catholic Health Hospitals Recognized For Excellent Emergency Care

Press release from Catholic Health:

Feb. 15, 2023

Two Catholic Health hospitals have achieved recognition for excellence in emergency care for older adults. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), with support from the Gary and Mary West Health Institute and John A. Hartford Foundation, recently announced that Mercy Hospital and St. Charles Hospital earned Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA).

“The geriatric ED accreditation is a true testament to our commitment in providing the highest quality of compassionate care to Port Jefferson’s geriatric population,” said St. Charles Hospital President James O’Connor. “Our emergency team is trained to address the special medical needs of aging seniors and provide extra assistance throughout their visit as needed.”

The voluntary GEDA program provides specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to target. The accreditation process offers more than two dozen best practices for geriatric care. A Level 3 emergency department must incorporate many of these best practices, along with providing interdisciplinary geriatric education, and having geriatric appropriate equipment and supplies available.

According to the ACEP, older adults seen in geriatric EDs avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and decrease their chance of readmissions, while receiving care and treatment that is specific to their needs.

To learn more about the emergency medicine and critical care services offered across Catholic Health, please visit: https://www.chsli.org/services/emergency-medicine-critical-care.

This press release was produced by Catholic Health. The views expressed here are the author's own.