(April 17, 2008 - Rockville Centre, NY) - Mercy Medical Center has been notified that the results of two recent on-site surveys by The Joint Commission point to continuation of Mercy’s current full accreditation with the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Mercy has continuously held full accreditation from The Joint Commission since the inception of such recognition more than four decades ago.

“We are pleased that The Joint Commission has acknowledged our commitment to meeting their state-of-the-art national standards for healthcare quality and safety,” said Alan D. Guerci, MD, President and CEO of Mercy Medical Center. “We are dedicated to providing the highest level of care and to complying with the Joint Commission’s standards on a continuous basis,” Dr. Guerci added.

Mercy’s continuing accreditation by The Joint Commission follows an audit of actual delivery of patient-care services conducted on December 11-14, 2007 and April 11, 2008 and is part of a continuous process that provides insights for maintaining the highest standards in the daily operations and systems at the hospital.

“We are committed to doing our best every day to provide quality patient care at Mercy, and this recognition by The Joint Commission is another important milestone for us,” said Nancy Simmons, Mercy’s Executive Vice-President.

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Since 1951, The Joint Commission has maintained standards that focus on improving the quality and safety of care provided by health care organizations, and Joint Commission accreditation is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting those standards.

Mercy Medical Center is a 375-bed non-profit community hospital serving Nassau County. Last year, Mercy received 35,000 Emergency Department visits, treated 14,000 in-patients, and delivered 1,500 babies, including some 300 premature babies who were treated in its Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the only such facility on the south shore of Nassau County.

Contact: Mel Granick
Phone: (516) 705-2618
e-Mail: Mel.Granick@chsli.org