Primary Stroke Center Certification

Lake Health's TriPoint Medical Center and West Medical Center have earned the Gold Seal of ApprovalTM from the Joint Commission for Advanced Disease-Specific Certification as Primary Stroke Centers. Lake Health earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an on-site review of each of the hospital’s acute stroke programs.

The Joint Commission's Primary Stroke Center Certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association's statements/guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program – the nation's first - in 2003. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.

Chest Pain Center Designation

In 2009, the Accreditation Review Committee of the Society of Chest Pain Centers awarded full Cycle III accreditation with PCI to West Medical Center and full Cycle III accreditation to TriPoint Medical Center. Both accreditations are in effect for three years, expiring on September 14, 2012.

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time that it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.

For more information on the Society of Chest Pain Centers visit www.scpcp.org.

Get With The Guidelines Silver Performance Achievement Award

On March 8, 2010 Lake Health received the American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines – Stroke (GWTG–Stroke) Silver Performance Achievement Award. This award recognizes Lake Health's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

To receive the GWTG-Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award, Lake Health consistently complied for at least one year with the requirements in the GWTG-Stroke program. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. This twelve-month evaluation period is the second in an ongoing self-evaluation by Lake Health to continually reach the 85 percent compliance level needed to sustain this award.

Certified Urgent Care Designation

In October 2009, Lake Health's four Urgent Care Centers, located in Chardon, Madison, Mentor, and Willowick, received the Certified Urgent Care designation from the Urgent Care Association of America. With this certification, Lake Health and the Urgent Care Association of America demonstrate their commitment toward providing patients with access to appropriate levels of care.

A Great Place to Work

In 2009 Lake Health was named one of the 99 best places to work in northeast Ohio for the eighth year in a row. The NorthCoast 99 award, presented every fall by the Employers Resource Council, identified top organizations in northeast Ohio that excel in areas such as compensation, benefits, health and safety, diversity, recruitment and retention, work/life, community services, training and education, and employee communication.

A Fit-Friendly Company

In July 2011 Lake Health received a Gold Fit-Friendly award from the American Heart Association for championing the health of employees by creating a culture of wellness in the workplace. "Gold-level" recognition is for companies that fulfill criteria such as offering employees physical activity support; increasing healthy food in cafeterias and vending machines; promoting a wellness culture; and implementing a designated number of activities in physical fitness, nutrition and cultural areas. This is the third year in which Lake Health has earned this recognition.

Healthy Worksite

On February 27, 2009 the Office of Healthy Ohio awarded Lake Health with the Silver Healthy Ohio-Healthy Worksite Award. Lake Health was recognized for initiating its Get Healthy Lake Health program, a comprehensive wellness program for team members that uses peer wellness coaching to help change unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. The program focuses on diet, exercise, stress management, and other factors to create a healthier workplace environment. Lake Health was one of 27 Ohio businesses recognized.

Gold Seal of Approval

On December 5, 2008, Lake Health earned accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (The Joint Commission). In their closing comments surveyors praised the Lake Health team for their flexibility, dedication and commitment to high-quality care. The accreditation signifies that Lake Health complies with the highest standards for safety and quality of care. The Joint Commission accreditation is a nationwide seal of approval that indicates a hospital meets high performance standards.

A Top Hospital for Cardiac Care

In 2007 Thomson, formerly Solucient, once again distinguished Lake Health as one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States for cardiovascular care. Lake Health, one of only 30 community hospitals in the country recognized, was named one of the nation’s top hospitals for setting benchmark levels of excellence for cardiovascular services. This is the second time Lake Health has received this distinction.

National Quality Leader

As the winner of the 2007 Premier/CareScience Select Practice Quality Award, Lake Health is one of only three hospitals in the region to be nationally recognized for superior patient outcomes and quality. To receive this distinguished honor, Lake Health demonstrated a combination of superior clinical outcomes and exceptional efficiency in patient care and is included in the top one percent of hospitals nationwide. Of the more than 4,700 hospitals considered for the award, only 49 hospitals were selected in 2007. Premier, Inc., is the largest health care alliance in the United States dedicated to improving patient outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care.

A Top Hospital

In 2006, Solucient named Lake Health to its list of 100 Top Hospitals in the country for the second time in three years. Solucient, a leading source of health care business intelligence, recognized LakeHealth for achieving excellence in quality of care, operational efficiency, financial performance, and adaptation to the environment. Lake Health was one of only 20 hospitals in the nation recognized in the category of large community hospitals.

A Friend to the Environment

Lake Health has received Partner Recognition for its pollution prevention efforts from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), an independent not-for-profit organization focused on improving health care’s environmental performance. Lake Health is the only hospital in Ohio to receive this recognition.

In 2006, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment bestowed upon Lake Health its coveted "Making Medicine Mercury Free" award. This one-time award is given to facilities that have met the challenge of becoming virtually "mercury free."