May 20, 2024
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Silver Cross Hospital earns 14th straight ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group

And that’s not the only patient safety recognition Silver Cross has earned in 2021

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
After Tinley Park and Rockford closed their mental health facilities, Grundy County Health Department created a crisis stabilization program. According to Hudson people would be screened in the hospital for eligibility and determination. “More short-term psychiatric beds are needed. If someone is suicidal, they have to find someone who will take them. Beds are very scarce in this area,” Hudson said. Currently Presence Saint Joseph's Hospital has 31 inpatient psychiatric beds, Silver Cross Hospital, pictured above, only has 20 and Morris Hospital doesn’t have any. To help alleviate this need, Silver Cross Hospital and US HealthVest are planning to build a 100-bed psychiatric hospital in New Lenox. Most veterans have to travel more than an hour away to get any sort of VA care, which causes issues with travel. Tyler went to the Milwaukee VA and St. Joseph’s in Joliet a couple times for treatment. “At three for four days, that wasn’t much to offer someone who felt suicidal. I felt better when I left [St. Joseph’s]," Tyler said. "I didn’t realize it at the time but I felt better because I was amongst other people who were struggling like myself. The camaraderie of people with other people who were struggling gave me hope."

Silver Cross Hospital earned its 14th straight ‘A’ by the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. And that’s not the only patient safety recognition Silver Cross has earned in 2021. (Provided photo)

Ruth Colby, president and chief executive officer for Silver Cross Hospital, said in a news release that safety comes first at Silver Cross.

It shows.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, recently awarded the New Lenox Hospital an “A” Hospital Safety Grade “for achieving the highest national standards in patient safety,” the release said.

“Silver Cross Hospital has made a clear and consistent effort to protect patients from harm,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in the release. “Establishing and maintaining systems that optimize patient safety is especially critical during times of crisis.”

Pictured is a nursery at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. Despite the fact nearly 3,000 babies were born at Silver Cross in 2020, not one baby tested postive for COVID-19, even if that baby's mother was postive for the virus. (Photo provided)

The Leapfrog Group assigns a letter grade – “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” – to all general hospitals in the areas of “table errors, injuries and infections, while also accounting for whether hospitals have systems in place to protect patients from harm,” the release said.

Colby said in the release that the 14th straight A “is a testament to the dedication of our entire Silver Cross family.” And that dedication to patient safety is why “Speak up for Patient Safety” is the first of the hospital’s seven behaviors.

It “sets the standard and expectation for every employee, physician and volunteer,” Colby said in the release.

Ruth Colby (Photo Provided)

This recent “A” from The Leapfrog Group is not the only quality and safety honor Silver Cross has earned this past year. The news release also said Silver Cross earned:

• The “Triple Crown” for health care in April. This landed Silver Cross a place on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, a 5-Star Rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a Leapfrog A – all in 2021.

• Several readers’ choice awards from the Southland Your Times in October. These included Best Hospital, Best Emergency Department, Best Place to Have a Baby and Best Home Care.

Pictured is the new cardiac hybrid room at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. This will be used for structural heart procedures, including TAVR.

Pictured is the new cardiac hybrid room at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. This will be used for structural heart procedures, including TAVR. (Photo provided)

• Best Large Employer and Best Healthcare Employer in Will County from readers of The Herald-News, also in October.

For details on Silver Cross’ performance and to access hospital safety tips for patients, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

For more information on Silver Cross, visit silvercross.org.