Hospital Implements Best Practices to Support Growing Population of Seniors
(San Dimas, CA – March 19, 2019) – San Dimas Community Hospital has taken senior emergency care to the next level by earning accreditation as a Geriatric Emergency Department by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). San Dimas Community Hospital is one of only six institutions in California with this accreditation which recognizes their focus on the highest standards of care for the communities’ older adults.
The Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program is the culmination of years of progress in the emergency care of older adults. In 2014, ACEP along with Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, Emergency Nurses Association, and American Geriatrics Society, developed and released geriatric ED guidelines, recommending measures ranging from adding geriatric-friendly equipment to specialized staff to more routine screening for delirium, dementia, and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities.
“There are physical changes with age that impact how doctors, nurses and our entire care team should best respond to patient needs in medical emergencies,” said Dr. Jose Diaz, Emergency Department Medical Director at San Dimas Community Hospital. “One in five people will be over the age of 65 in 2030, which makes our participation in the GEDA program important to our community now and in the future.”
The voluntary GEDA program provides specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to target. To earn accreditation, an emergency department must incorporate a number of best practices for geriatric care, along with inter-disciplinary geriatric education, and have geriatric appropriate equipment and supplies available.
“Providing excellent care to our senior community has always been a focal point of our services, and we are proud to have earned this distinguished accreditation,” said Parrish Scarboro, Chief Executive Officer of San Dimas Community Hospital. “We understand the unique challenges of our senior community and have implemented processes and protocols to address those needs in a compassionate, caring environment.”
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Some of the best practices embraced by the geriatric emergency departments include:
· Ensuring geriatric-focused education and interdisciplinary staffing
· Providing standardized approaches to care that address common geriatric issues
· Ensuring optimal transitions of care from the ED to other settings (inpatient, home, community-based care, rehabilitation, long-term care)
· Promoting geriatric-focused quality improvement and enhancements of the physical environment and supplies
In addition to GEDA, San Dimas Community Hospital was recently awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade and the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award for 2018.
Visit the GEDA website to learn more about the accreditation criteria.
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About San Dimas Community Hospital
San Dimas Community Hospital is an award-winning, 101-bed facility serving the San Dimas, Glendora, Covina, and La Verne, California communities with compassionate, quality care. Services include 24-hour emergency care, a family birth center, orthopedic surgery, advanced diagnostic services, cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal services. A three-time recipient of the 100 Top Hospitals by IBM Watson Health, San Dimas Community Hospital’s has also been acknowledged by the Women’s Choice Award for America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Safety and is a recipient of the prestigious Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award. Learn more at sandimashospital.com.