June 7, 1999 Volume 21, No. 16

Health Center Receives Joint Commission's Highest Accreditation The Hammond Health Center has received accreditation with commendation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. This status — the commission’s highest — signifies exemplary performance in meeting the national standards set by the JCAHO, which was formed in 1951 to improve the quality of the nation’s health care. "Accreditation with commendation is a significant achievement," said Dr. Dennis O’Leary, president of the JCAHO. "Ithaca College and the Hammond Health Center should be commended for their commitment to providing quality care to the people they serve." The commission evaluates and accredits almost 19,000 hospitals and other health care organizations, including ambulatory care facilities like the health center. Every three years an organization undergoes a voluntary survey, which includes an on-site review, and receives one of seven accreditation decisions. Ithaca College’s is currently the only student health center in New York State accredited under the ambulatory care program to receive accreditation with commendation. Only 21 percent of accredited ambulatory care facilities in the state have received the top status; the nationwide figure is 31 percent. "This is an extraordinary honor," said Dr. David Newman, director of student health services. "Accreditation with commendation is important because it recognizes true excellence in every dimension of patient care. In fact, the reviewers told us they were so impressed with our quality assurance program that they made copies of our polices and procedures to use as examples of outstanding performance improvement activity. The staff here worked extremely hard in preparing for this, and the results are truly representative of the ongoing quality of service we provide to the College community."