(May 16, 2008 - Rockville Centre, NY) - Mercy Medical Center has officially received another full 3-year accreditation and Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission, the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

The accreditation, formalized in a May 15 letter to the Medical Center, demonstrates Mercy’s compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art national standards for healthcare quality and safety for both its Hospital and Behavioral Health Care services.

“We are very pleased to receive this official notification of The Joint Commission’s recognition of our commitment to patient safety and quality care,” 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 an ongoing basis,” Dr. Guerci added.

Mercy’s continuing accreditation by The Joint Commission through December, 2010 follows an audit of patient-care services conducted on December 11-14, 2007 and April 11, 2008.

“Accreditation by The Joint Commission is part of a continuous process that provides us with insights for maintaining the highest standards in Mercy’s daily operations,” said Nancy Simmons, Mercy’s Executive Vice-President. “We are very proud that Mercy has continuously held full accreditation from The Joint Commission since the inception of such recognition more than four decades ago.”

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.

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