Public Relations / Marketing Officer

David Bruzzese
Office: 970.764.3910
Cell: 970.749.9517

For Immediate Release
February 5, 2008

Mercy awarded accreditation from The Joint Commission
DURANGO, Colo.— By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission‘s national standards for health care quality and safety, Mercy Regional Medical Center has again earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™.

“We seek reaccreditation for our organization because we want to demonstrate our commitment to patients’ safety and quality care,” said Jim Wanebo, chairman of Mercy's board of directors. “We view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as another step toward providing exceptional care to the communities we serve.”

“Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic, and organization-wide improvement in an organization’s performance and the outcomes of care,” said Darlene Christiansen, executive director, Hospital Accreditation Program, The Joint Commission. “The community should be proud that Mercy Regional Medical Center is focusing on the most challenging goal—to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels.”

The Joint Commission conducted an unannounced, on-site evaluation of Mercy Regional Medical Center  from Nov. 19 - Nov. 21.  The accreditation award recognizes Mercy’s dedication to complying with the Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards on a continuous basis.

“Our employees and medical providers deserve credit for maintaining survey readiness. Because the Joint Commission’s accreditation standards are so high and demand constant attention, they become ingrained in our day-to-day operations,” said Nancy Hoyt, Mercy's chief nursing officer.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States , including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, The Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.