Honored — Harlingen Medical Center is the first hospital in Cameron County to be accredited as a Geriatric Emergency Department. The recognition demonstrates that Harlingen Medical Center provides “excellent care for older adults.” (Courtesy photo/Harlingen Medical Center)
Special to the NEWS
HARLINGEN, TX—Harlingen Medical Center has become the first hospital in Cameron County to be accredited as a Geriatric Emergency Department — an honor which demonstrates that the hospital provides “excellent care for older adults”, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians.
The accreditation recognizes that the hospital is committed to the highest standards of care for senior adults in the Valley, according to a statement from Harlingen Medical Center.
“The American College of Emergency Physicians, with support from The Gary and Mary West Health Institute and John A. Hartford Foundation, implemented the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program to recognize those emergency departments that provide excellent care for older adults,” said Sandy Schneider, MD, FACEP and Kevin Biese, MD, MAT, FACEP of The American College of Emergency Physicians. “As such, we are excited to announce that Harlingen Medical Center’s Emergency Department has achieved the bronze standard — Level 3 GEDA accreditation.”
Dr. Schneider and Dr. Biese noted that Harlingen Medical Center’s emergency department is “led by a remarkable team of interdisciplinary leaders.”
“Harlingen Medical Center’s accreditation signals to the public that your institution is focused on the highest standards of care for your communities’ older adults,” they added.
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), along with the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, the Emergency Nurses Association, and the American Geriatrics Society, developed and released geriatric guidelines for hospital emergency departments in 2014.
The guidelines recommend measures such as adding geriatric-friendly equipment and a specialized emergency room staff trained in geriatric care, enhanced safety protocols, senior-focused care designed to improve health outcomes for older patients, and more routine screening for dementia, delirium, and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities.
To receive accreditation, an emergency department must incorporate several best practices for geriatric care, including interdisciplinary geriatric education, and have geriatric-appropriate equipment and supplies available.
Some of the best practices include: Providing standardized approaches to care that address common geriatric issues, promoting geriatric-focused quality improvement and enhancements of the physical environment and supplies, and making pharmacists accessible at the patient’s bedside to answer questions regarding medications for senior adults.
Another consideration is ensuring optimal transitions of care from the emergency department to other settings (inpatient hospitalization, home, community-based care, rehabilitation, long-term care). “At Harlingen Medical Center Regional, we are dedicated to ensuring that our senior community receives the highest standard of emergency care,” said Todd Mann, CEO of Harlingen Medical Center.
Harlingen Medical Center is a nationally recognized and award-winning general acute care hospital. The Level IV Trauma Designated Hospital specializes in bariatric surgery, cardiovascular care, orthopedic services, emergency medicine, gastroenterology, imaging, obstetrics and gynecology, and wound healing care.
The hospital’s concept of “patient-focused care” prioritizes the patients’ needs. The design, management, staffing, and operation of the hospital are focused on meeting the patients’ needs and ensuring their overall comfort.
For more information, call (956) 365-1000 or visit www.HarlingenMedicalCenter.com.
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