Prestigious Awards Recognize Excellence

Honors for Northridge Hospital August 2009

• Stroke Center Earns Gold Seal of Approval
• Trauma Center Receives Level II Verification
• Best Places to Work 2009
• Named Daily News Favorite Hospital
• Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care 

I am absolutely thrilled to share that the Los Angeles Business Journal, has named Northridge Hospital Medical Center one of the 2009 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. A double-dose of good news came when Northridge Hospital was also chosen by the readers of the Los Angeles Daily News as “Favorite Hospital”.

The Business Journal finalists included a cross section of business, industry and non-profit organizations. In the “large organization” category, we ranked #3 in all of Los Angeles for the best place to work. This was particularly significant for us to be side-by-side with an elite class of organizations that were finalists coupled with the fact that we were the only healthcare provider in the top nine to receive this substantial award.

An independent firm asked a random sampling of our employees to participate in the Journal’s competition. Questions posed to hospital staff focused on leadership and planning; corporate culture and communications; work environment; training and development; and benefits.

These two prestigious awards serve to highlight what we have known all along – Northridge Hospital is a very great place to work, indeed. In fact, more than 80 percent of our new hires are recommended by our employees. We emphasize continuing education and encourage employees to maximize their potential by offering tuition reimbursement, scholarships and classes to improve their skills.

It is a milestone honor to be named as a Best Place to Work out the thousands of great companies in Los Angeles and as the “Favorite Hospital” by the thousands of readers of the LA Daily news. We are proud of the work that has been done and the work that is still ahead of us to be done for our patients and community.

Northridge Hospital Designated as a  Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care

The excellence of our staff was also recognized earlier this year when the Northridge Hospital CardioVasular Center was designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care. Blue Distinction is a designation awarded to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare.

Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care demonstrate their commitment to quality care, resulting in better overall outcomes for cardiac patients. Northridge Hospital meets evidence-based clinical criteria, developed in collaboration with expert physicians and medical organizations, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and is subject to periodic re-evaluation as criteria continues to evolve.

“Blue Distinction puts a high value on research and evidence-based health and medical information,” says Allan Korn, MD, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Chief Medical Officer. “Blue Distinction Centers show our commitment to working with doctors and hospitals in communities across the country to identify leading institutions that meet clinically validated quality standards and deliver better overall outcomes in patient care.”

Trauma Center Receives Level II Verification

We are pleased to announce that in addition to it being the 25th Anniversary of the Trauma Center this year, we have further reason to celebrate. Our Trauma Center has successfully attained Level II Trauma Center Verification status by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). We have worked diligently over the past three years to attain this Verification Status.

This achievement recognizes our Trauma Center's dedication to providing the highest levels of clinical quality to injured patients. Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the ACS Committee on Trauma. 

The criteria promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. This spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process.

The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional, or state health care systems agencies, such as the local emergency medical services (EMS) authority in LA County. We are proud to be among the 10 Trauma Centers in Los Angeles County (out of 13) who have received this prestigious verification.

It is through the hard work of every member of our organization and our trauma team, that we attained it. The verification specifically pointed out the strengths of our program: the Trauma Medical Director; ED Nursing certifications; our in-patient Rehabilitation program; the steady improvement in the Trauma Program; the ICU nursing care; and the Trauma Program Manager. While these areas were highlighted, the surveyor said our patients benefit from the dedication we all have put into this verification process.

Stroke Center Earned Gold Seal of Approval

The Stroke Center at Northridge is proud to announce their Joint Commission Disease Specific Certification as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center. We are the first and only hospital in the central San Fernando Valley area with this distinction.

The Gold Seal of Approval™  is awarded by The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers. Northridge Hospital earned this distinction after the Joint Commission conducted an on-site review. As a certified center, we will continue to move forward in advancing the care of our stroke patients to provide the best possible outcomes. 

To receive this honor the hospital demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients,” says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.

The Stroke Center's certification demonstrates our commitment to excellence in the area of stroke care. A recent change in regulations requires paramedics to bring patients within 30 minutes of a certified stroke center to that facility. We are expecting to see an increase in the number of patients that we will provide care for. 

Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation’s third leading cause of death. On average, someone suffers a stroke ever 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about 4.7 million stroke survivors alive today.