St. Mary’s Hospital for Children has been recognized as a 2021 recipient of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) for its commitment to improving the lives of residents through quality care. The distinction is the first of three progressive award levels through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program. The program, presented by the leading association in long term and post-acute care, honors association members across the country that have demonstrated their commitment to improving quality of care for seniors and people with disabilities.
“We are honored to receive the AHCA/NCAL’s Bronze National Quality Award,” said Dr. Edwin Simpser, President and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children. “Our kids face tremendous obstacles, but their unparalleled determination inspires all of us each day. This award recognizes the hard work of our incredible team and I want to thank them for their tireless dedication to the children and families at St. Mary’s.”
Created by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is a rigorous three-level process that is reviewed and judged by trained experts against a set of nationally recognized standards for organizational excellence. The standards of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program help organizations achieve superior performance in order to improve quality of life and care of long term care residents and staff.
Providers begin the quality improvement process at the Bronze level, where they develop an organizational profile with essential performance elements such as vision, mission statement, and key strengths and challenges. Bronze applicants must also demonstrate their ability to implement a sustainable performance improvement system. Trained Examiners review each application to determine if the center has met the demands of the criteria. As a recipient of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award, St. Mary’s Hospital for Children may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving advanced levels of performance that meet the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award criteria.
“I applaud the resiliency of, St. Mary’s Hospital for Children for taking this important step towards sustainable quality improvement while heroically protecting and caring for residents during one of the most challenging years in recent history,” said the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers Chair Tammy Kelly. “I encourage, St. Mary’s Hospital for Children to continue on its path to becoming among the best in the country.”
The awards will be presented during AHCA/NCAL’s 72nd Convention & Expo in National Harbor, Maryland right outside Washington, DC which will be held from October 10-13, 2021.
About St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children:
St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children has been the primary provider of long-term and rehabilitative care for New York’s most critically ill and injured children since the 1870s. St. Mary’s Healthcare System is one of only a handful of organizations around the country that is dedicated to providing intensive rehabilitation, specialized care, and education to children with special needs and life-limiting conditions.
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 14,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers, and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahcancal.org.
