SVMHS Patient Safety Receives Top Grade During COVID-19 Crisis

SALINAS, Calif., Dec. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly one year into the global COVID-19 pandemic, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System (SVMHS) repeated it's achievement of an "A" rating during a clinical, evidence based review of patient safety metrics. This week, Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization awarded SVMHS the highest letter grade possible in the Fall 2020 Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals prevent medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.

"It's more important than ever for our community to know our commitment to staff and patient safety," says Pete Delgado, President/CEO of Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. "COVID-19 is taking a devastating toll and in the face of a challenging environment, our healthcare professionals are laser focused on safety. I am so proud of the precautions they are taking to provide quality care for all of our patients – those with and without the virus."

The Hospital Safety Score uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade's methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

"We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "This 'A' is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. health care system, we appreciate you putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it."

Since early March, SVMHS has treated more than 600 COVID-19 patients while maintaining centers of excellence in specialty areas such as heart care, cancer care, women and children services, diagnostic imaging and others. Frontline staff at SVMHS will begin receiving the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week as hospital leaders continue to urge the public to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and loved ones from spreading the virus.

"The vaccine offers all of us a light at the end of a very dark tunnel," says Delgado. "Today's Leapfrog announcement reminds us that regardless of the circumstances, patient safety is always a fundamental priority to the services we provide the community."

For more information, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. 

Media Contact: Karina Rusk 831-759-1825

SOURCE Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System

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