| LONGMEADOW Jewish Geriatric Services (JGS), located in Longmeadow, MA, announced today that two of its programs, the Julian J. Leavitt Family Jewish Nursing Home (JNH) and Spectrum Home Health Care, have each been awarded a three-year accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), both earning its Gold Seal of Approval. JCAHO is an independent not-for-profit organization, and is the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Since 1951,it has maintained state-of-the-art standards that focus on improving the quality and safety of care provided by healthcare organizations. JCAHO evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. Both JNH and Spectrum Home Health Care participated in the survey voluntarily. During the survey process, a JCAHO team of healthcare professionals observed resident and client care, interviewed residents, clients and staff, and reviewed documents in order to evaluate how the organizations meet patient care standards.The JCAHO team of surveyors found that both JNH and Spectrum demonstrated compliance with their national standards for both long-term care and home health care. "Voluntarily participating in the JCAHO survey process is a direct reflection of the commitment that JNH and Spectrum have to providing quality care for both residents and clients," said Linda Donoghue, Chief Operating Officer at JGS. "This commitment also extends to the organizations' many other quality improvement initiatives, including participation in the NICHE program, a national initiative of the John A. Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, as well as our nursing partnership with the University of Massachusetts." In addition to the aforementioned quality measures, the surveyors also evaluated both organizations' compliance with the National Patient Safety Goals, which are guidelines established by JCAHO in order to focus more attention on preventing medical errors and improving patient safety. Both JNH and Spectrum met the standards dictated by the applicable National Patient Safety Goals. To view a detailed quality report of each of the organizations' performance, please visit www.qualitycheck.org. "Since accreditation standards complement those of federal and state requirements, receiving accreditation from JCAHO is a recognized milestone in the healthcare industry," said Alan Rosenfeld, President and CEO of JGS. "As a result of this accreditation, both the people and families we serve, as well as all of our employees and supporters, can take pride knowing they are involved withorganizations thatare committedto excellence. We thank all the employees, volunteers and leadership who help us succeed in our ongoing mission." For more information regarding the programs and services of Jewish Geriatric Services, call 567-3949, ext. 1321. |
