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Huntington Hospital Awarded Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers

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Huntington Hospital Awarded Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers
Joint Commission and American Heart Association certification for comprehensive stroke center

Huntington Hospitaltoday announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.

With this certification, Huntington Hospitaljoins an elite group of health care organizations focused on highly-specialized stroke care. To be eligible, hospitals must demonstrate compliance with stroke-related standards as a Primary Stroke Center and meet additional requirements, including those related to advanced imaging capabilities, 24/7 availability of specialized treatments, and providing staff with the unique education and competencies to care for complex stroke patients.

Huntington Hospitalunderwent a rigorous onsite review in April 2017, when Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements.

“Huntington Hospital is pleased to receive Comprehensive Stroke Certification from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” said Arbi Ohanian, MD, medical director, Huntington Hospital Stroke Program. “The certification is the direct result of the high-level care our physicians, nurses and staff provide to our stroke patients, every day. We are proud of this achievement.”

“By achieving this advanced certification, Huntington Hospital has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of its patients with a complex stroke condition,” says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president and CEO, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends Huntington Hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate the standard of its care for the community it serves.”

“The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association congratulates Huntington Hospitalon achieving Comprehensive Stroke Center certification,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “Meeting the standards for Comprehensive Stroke Center certification represents a commitment to deliver high quality care to all patients affected by stroke.”

Established in 2012, Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers is awarded for a two-year period to Joint Commission-accredited acute care hospitals. The certification was derived from the Brain Attack Coalition’s “Recommendations for Comprehensive Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2005), “Metrics for Measuring Quality of Care in Comprehensive Stroke Centers” (Stroke, 2011) and recommendations from a multidisciplinary advisory panel of experts in complex stroke care.

Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

The Joint Commission

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The familiar Heart-Check mark now helps consumers evaluate their choices in hospital care. Each mark given to a hospital is earned by meeting specific standards for the care of patients with heart disease and/or stroke. The Heart-Check mark can only be displayed by hospitals that have achieved and defined requirements set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. For more information on the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Hospital Accreditation Program visit www.heart.org/myhospital.

Huntington Hospital named a recipient of ECRI Institute 2017 Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Award

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Huntington Hospital named a recipient of ECRI Institute 2017 Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Award

Huntington Hospital has been named a recipient of ECRI Institute’s sixth annual Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Award. The prestigious award honors healthcare organizations that demonstrate excellence in overall spend management and in adopting best practice solutions in its supply chain processes.

“We are honored to receive this designation from ECRI Institute,” said Jim Noble, executive vice president, chief financial officer/provider strategy, Huntington Hospital. “This recognition is the culmination of years of effort by our hospital’s operations team implementing best practice solutions to advance our supply chain efforts. I am proud to work with such a dedicated team.”

Each year, the Healthcare Supply Chain Achievement Award recognizes hospitals and health systems for their comprehensive and effective use of ECRI Institute’s PriceGuide™ and SELECTplus® supply and capital procurement advisory programs. This year’s winners were selected out of nearly 3,000 members nationwide. Winners are determined using a two-part selection process that is both quantitative and subjective. The evaluation process was based on a study and analysis of each organization’s purchase order history and supply chain initiatives that included ongoing and consistent spend management and market analytics efforts for all medical devices, including capital medical equipment, supplies, physician preference items, service contracts, reagents, and others.

About ECRI Institute
ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes enable improved patient care. As pioneers in this science for nearly 50 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. Strict conflict-of-interest guidelines ensure objectivity. ECRI Institute is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).

Huntington Hospital Celebrates Recipients of the 2017 Condon Family Nursing Scholarships

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Huntington Hospital Celebrates Recipients of the 2017 Condon Family Nursing Scholarships

Huntington Hospital’s vision – to be the leader in creating community well-being through world-class health care delivered with kindness and dignity – is brought to life by an outstanding team of nursing professionals, clinical staff and dedicated employees, alongside our physician partners. With the help of philanthropic donations, the hospital supports ongoing education for our workforce. Recently, Huntington Hospital celebrated twenty scholarship recipients who were selected because of the excellence, integrity, compassion, and collaboration they demonstrate through the exceptional care they provide patients every day.

“These scholarships were made possible by a generous donation from Julie and Tom Condon, part of a five-year commitment to support nursing education and professional development,” said Jane Haderlein, senior vice president, philanthropy & public relations, Huntington Hospital. “Academic advancement has always been very important at our hospital, and with these scholarships, we can support many more nurses as they strive to advance their clinical knowledge and continually raise the bar in patient care.”

The 2017 Condon Family Nursing Scholarships were awarded to: Kelli Castillo, Lulu Castro, Ernestina Chua, Sandra Flores, Julia Grinblat, Monique Halabi, Andreina Hernandez, Ernani Kashem, Terri Kolbach, Karen Luu, Lazar Michaels, Perla Pena, Shwe Phyo, Robert Ryken, Kaoru Sakiyama, Monica Shima, Amy Stadeli, Eric Tom, Eva Torres and Kathy Vardoulis.

Thanks to generous philanthropic support, an additional thirteen employees were awarded annual scholarships from various community members and organizations, further supporting Huntington Hospitalhealthcare professionals in their ongoing education, training and career development.

Huntington Hospitalnursing scholarships are one key piece of a multi-part strategy included in the Nursing Strategic Plan, Magnet requirements and the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) directive to achieve a workforce of baccalaureate prepared registered nurses at 80% or higher by 2020.

Hope grows at Huntington Hospital

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Hope grows at Huntington Hospital

On June 4, Huntington HospitalCancer Center hosted an open house to celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day. Guests reconnected with the physicians and staff who guided them through cancer treatment, while enjoying delicious food, music and an informative break-out session led by Ruth Williamson, MD, medical director, breast cancer services.

Those in attendance were encouraged to write messages of hope and strength on notecards for our Cancer Center patients who are currently going through treatment. The notecards, and a healthful recipe, were attached to an herb plant as a reminder that hope grows.

For more information about the Huntington HospitalCancer Center, please visit www.huntingtonhospital.org/cancercenter.

Huntington Hospital and Pasadena Fire Department Offer Sidewalk CPR Training

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Huntington Hospital and Pasadena Fire Department Offer Sidewalk CPR Training

On June 1, Huntington Hospitaland Pasadena Fire Department, hosted a free, Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training at the Paseo Colorado in Pasadena. In less than five minutes per demonstration, CPR instructors taught the basic and proper techniques of Hands-Only CPR to over 100 people.

The annual Sidewalk CPR pop-up training event was sponsored by the American Heart Association and was Pasadena’s sixth time extending their efforts to educate the public. The dedicated Huntington Hospitalstaff and firefighters demonstrated the proper chest compression techniques – done to the beat of the famous song “Stayin’ Alive,” allowing participants to feel the quick rhythm required to effectively treat a victim of cardiac arrest for a minimum of sixty seconds at best.

Cardiac arrests are more common than you think and they can happen to anyone at any time. Nearly 300,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually and only 32 percent of cardiac arrest victims get CPR from a bystander. Failure to act in a cardiac emergency can lead to unnecessary deaths. In fact, less than eight percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive. On the other hand, effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.

For more information about Hands-Only CPR, please visit the American Heart Association website at Hands Only CPR.

8th Annual Pasadena Saving Strokes Showcases Golf as an Aid in Stroke Recovery

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8th Annual Pasadena Saving Strokes Showcases Golf as an Aid in Stroke Recovery

A stroke can turn an individual’s life upside down and, for many, recovery can be a lifelong process. Fortunately, there is a special program that provides people who have had a stroke with a renewed sense of energy and physical capability. On Wednesday, May 24, Huntington Hospital sponsored the American Heart Association’s Saving Strokes, an event bringing together a group of local stroke survivors, in various stages of recovery, to Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena for a day of golf therapy.

At the event, attendees learned techniques for overcoming common stroke disabilities and increasing coordination and strength. They took part in activities designed to improve their golfing skills, including driving, chipping and putting. Special equipment, such as adaptive carts and golf clubs were available to participants with balance or coordination issues.

For more information, read about Huntington Hospital’s stroke program.

Hope grows here

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Hope grows here

Have you or someone you love been affected by cancer? Please join us for a National Cancer Survivors Day Open House on Sunday, June 4. See the invitation below, which includes location, time and RSVP information.

Huntington Hospital Receives Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll

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Huntington Hospital Receives Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll

Huntington Hospitalreceived the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures to receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. Huntington Hospitalearned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period.

These quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

“The recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke further reinforces our team’s hard work,” said Arbi Ohanian, MD, medical director of Huntington Hospital’s Stroke Program. “As Huntington Hospital continues to strive for excellence in the acute treatment of stroke patients, this honor further demonstrates our commitment to delivering advanced stroke treatments to patients quickly and safely.”

“The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize Huntington Hospitalfor its commitment to stroke care,” said Paul Heidenreich, MD, MS, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. “Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program.”

Get With The Guidelines®-S puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping hospital care teams ensure the care provided to patients is aligned with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal to save lives and improve recovery time, Get With The Guidelines®-S has impacted more than 3 million patients since 2003.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

An open letter to our community from Paul L.H. Ouyang and Stephen A. Ralph

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An open letter to our community from Paul L.H. Ouyang and Stephen A. Ralph

Thirty years ago, during a period of substantial change for both Huntington Hospital and health care as a whole, Steve Ralph started his work here. In the decades that have followed, our community hospital has grown to become a regional leader that delivers innovative patient care and results on-par with the top hospitals in the nation. Steve has been instrumental in helping Huntington Hospitalrealize its potential as a leader in creating community well-being through world-class health care delivered with kindness and dignity.

Now, as we celebrate our 125th year of providing excellent care, Steve has decided that he will be stepping down as Huntington Hospital’s president and chief executive officer, concluding 22 years in this leadership role.

To find the best and most qualified person to lead Huntington Hospital into its next chapter, our board of directors has convened a search committee and retained a national search firm to find our hospital’s next CEO. We are confident we will attract an excellent CEO successor and anticipate having a candidate in place by year-end 2017 or early 2018.

Once the new CEO is on board, Steve will step down from his current role but remain with Huntington Hospitalas a senior advisor to his successor and the board of directors. To ensure a seamless transition, Steve will continue to work closely with the board, his successor and others for a period of time, leveraging his deep knowledge and important relationships with our employees and physicians, community and partners.

Throughout the last 20 years — and especially during the last 10 — hospitals have seen significant changes and challenges that have forced near-constant evolution. Huntington Hospital is proud of its history of facing challenges head on, and excelling.

In 2003, we recognized the need for new services and facilities to serve our community, so we launched our largest ever comprehensive capital campaign and raised more than $100 million to ensure excellent healthcare delivery through the creation of a state-of-the-art patient tower. In 2008, we saw the need to expand further, this time to meet growing demand as Pasadena’s last emergency room and the region’s only trauma center. Again, we looked to our community and raised $83 million from philanthropic support that ultimately allowed us to double our capacity to provide life-saving care with the most advanced technologies. And in the years that have followed, we have continued to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our community and remain focused on delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Our excellence is manifested in the outstanding team of talented and dedicated people who ensure we are here for our community 24 hours daily. Their expert, compassionate care has allowed our hospital to be honored in myriad ways. We are immensely proud to be designated as a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recognizing the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. Our medical staff is among the best in the nation, covering all medical specialties. Over 1,500 volunteers ensure the hightouch, patient-centered care that is our hallmark. We have been celebrated numerous times by Healthgrades for being in the top-1% in the nation for clinical outcomes and ranked by U.S. News and World Report as a top-5 hospital in the Los Angeles Metro Area and a top-10 hospital in California overall.

And last year, our board of directors reaffirmed and refreshed Huntington Hospital’s vision, mission and core values, adding important words like collaboration, kindness and dignity that underscore our sincere commitment to providing compassionate community care.

These accomplishments under Steve’s leadership — alongside accreditations, designations and awards too many to list — give us the utmost confidence that Huntington Hospital is in a position of strength and poised to deliver compassionate and excellent health care to our community for decades to come.

We extend our most heartfelt thanks for being a meaningful part of the important work that is done by our hospital. We look forward to updating you as the search and selection process for Huntington Hospital’s next leader progresses.

Sincerely,

Paul L. H. Ouyang
Chairman, Board of Directors

Stephen A. Ralph
President and Chief Executive Officer

Click here to view a printable version of this letter.