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Honors, Awards and Recognition for Outstanding Service

The Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service

In honor of its broad-based efforts to improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of its community, St. Joseph’s/Candler is the recipient of the 2012 Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service, one of the most esteemed community service honors in healthcare. 

Each year, this $100,000 prize is presented to a healthcare organization that provides innovative programs that significantly improve the health and well-being of its community. The Foster G. McGaw Prize is sponsored by The Baxter International Foundation, and the American Hospital Association (AHA) and Health Research & Educational Trust.

Magnet Designation for Excellence in Nursing Service

In 2002, St. Joseph's/Candler was designated as a Magnet facility recognizing excellence in nursing services, becoming the only local health institution to achieve such status.

This recognition, awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, is a premier benchmark for excellence reflecting a health care organization's delivery of patient care and the contribution of nurses.

The award is reflective of the highest quality of professional nursing care, promotion and support of nursing development, and nursing leadership.

St. Joseph's/Candler has been designated as a Magnet facility five times since 2002 - a very rare accomplishment of status that is shared with less than 25 hospitals sites in the world.

Learn more.

American Heart Association

Get with the Guidelines, an American Heart Association’s collaborative performance improvement program, demonstrated to improve adherence to evidence-based care of patients hospitalized with stroke. Candler and St. Joseph’s both Gold Plus for Stroke.

Georgia Hospital Association

Participation in Georgia Hospital Association, Partnership for Health Accountability, Moving Georgia to the Top Ten initiative, St. Joseph’s/Candler has achieved “Top Ten” status by being in the Joint commission 90th percentile for AMI, Heart Failure, and Pneumonia appropriate care measures.

American Society of Clinical Oncology

The St. Joseph’s/Candler SC Cancer Specialists in Hilton Head has successfully completed a three-year certification program for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet nationally recognized standards for quality cancer care. 

It is the only practice in the Low Country and Savannah region to earn the certification. The recognition comes from the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Certification Program (QOPI).

 

Other Recent Awards and Recognitions

2021

  • The Heart Hospital at St. Joseph's/Candler receives the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation for the fifth time. The ACC awards this designation to hospitals that have demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients with chest pain. Learn more.

2020

  • Candler Hospital received first place recognition as the 2020 Patient Safety and Quality Award Winner for "The Journey: Improving Surgical Site Infections - Colon Surgeries" from the Partnership for Health & Accountability (PHA) together with the Georgia Hospital Association Research and Education Foundation (GHAREF).
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler earns The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition for an impressive fifth time. Only 22 other hospitals in the world have earned a fifth designation.
  • The Heart Hospital at St. Joseph's/Candler receives the Silver Award from the ACC.

2019

  • The Heart Hospital at St. Joseph’s/Candler is recognized by the American College of Cardiology for demonstrating expertise and commitment in treating patients with chest pain.
  • The Heart Hospital also is awarded Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI based on rigorous onsite evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.
  • The St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundation receives $68,720 in grants from The One Hundred Children’s Foundation to continue its high quality care at The Children’s Place at Candler Hospital and for scholarships for Camp Adam Fisher, where children with diabetes enjoy a classic camp experience while learning to manage their disease.
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler’s Center for Diabetes Management is recognized for its diabetes prevention program by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler receives the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.
  • St. Joseph’s Hospital also was recognized on the association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll.

2018

  • Howard A. Zaren, MD, medical director of the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler, was one of only four physicians to receive a 2018 Accrual Award from the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program.
  • The GA NCORP also awarded the LCRP the Platinum Award for clinical trial accruals.
  • St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital both receive the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler receives the 2018 Komen Coastal Georgia Grant for Mammography Fund valued at $48,041.

2017

  • Candler Hospital receives prestigious international recognition as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility from Baby-Friendly USA, the U.S. authority for the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
  • The Telfair Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler receives grant from It’s The Journey, Inc. valued at $35,000.

2016

  • St. Joseph’s/Candler Center for Medication Management earns the designation of Anticoagulation Center of Excellence from the Anticoagulation Forum.
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler Primary Care on Eisenhower is named a Patient-Centered Medical Home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

2015

  • St. Joseph’s/Candler earns The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition for an impressive fourth time. Only 29 other health systems in the world have earned a fourth designation.
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler earns the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award.
  • The Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler earns the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons.
  • The Center for Hyperbarics and Wound Care at St. Joseph’s/Candler earns the Center for Distinction Award for achieving outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months.
  • The LCRP earns a $100,000 grant to decrease breast cancer mortality rates in minority women. The grant was awarded through the Georgia Access to Care, Treatment and Services Breast Cancer License Tag Gran Program.

2014

  • Howard Family Dental pledges $150,000 to St. Joseph’s/Candler for children’s support groups to ensure children of sick patients at St. Joseph’s/Candler get the help and support they need during a time of distress.
  • The LCRP is selected by the National Cancer Institute to lead new research program, which includes a five-year, $5.85 million grant.
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler is awarded a $35,000 grant by It’s The Journey, Inc. for the Telfair Mammography Fund, which helps uninsured women receive mammograms and other breast health treatment. 

2013

  • SJ/C is the only hospital in GA to be named to Global Healthcare Exchange’s Best 50 list for hospitals that reduce costs through supply chain automation
  • Sister Margaret Beatty receives Lifetime Achievement Award from 100 Black Men of Savannah, Inc. 
  • SJ/C receives $35,000 grant from It’s The Journey, Inc., for dedication to providing mammography and breast care services
  • SJ/C honored for its Low Country commitment by a South Carolina legislature resolution
  • St. Joseph’s Hospital is first in region to receive full accreditation as Chest Pain Center from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC).
  • St. Joseph’s Electrophysiology Lab in The Heart Hospital receives Healthy Hospital Silver Award from Stryker Sustainability Solutions.

2012

  • St. Joseph’s/Candler wins several of the Georgia Medical Society’s Health Care Hero Awards: Smart Health Express Kiosk in Health Care Innovations; Project SEARCH in Health Care Education; Dr. Eduard Docu, Medical Director of St. Mary’s Health Center, in Community Outreach; both the Southeast GA Clinical Campus of GHSU-MCG and the Telfair Directresses were awarded in the Institution/Organzition category.
  • SJ/C named 2012 Large Hospital of the Year by the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals
  • The Brunswick Division of St. Joseph’s/Candler’s Home Healthcare is ranked among the top 25 percent of all agencies in the U.S. by HomeCare Elite.
  • Candler Hospital designated as Primary Stroke Center by the the Office of EMS/Trauma in the GA Department of Public Health
  • The Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion earns two-year extension of NCCCP program

2011

  • Sister Pat, Director of SJ/C’s St. Mary’s Community Center and Health Center, is one of ten people in 2011 to receive a Hospital Hero Award from the Georgia Hospital Association.
  • SJ/C named a Top Performing Hospital in 2011 by the QUEST Collaborative. 
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler wins several of the Georgia Medical Society’s Health Care Hero Awards: St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary and Candler Hospital Auxiliary in Health Care Education; St. Joseph’s/Candler Leukemia Cup Regatta, St. Joseph’s School of Nursing, and the Candler School of Nursing each won for Institution/Organization; John Ashley, Manager of Information Services, was one of the award winners in Allied Health Professionals.
  • The Brunswick Division of St. Joseph’s/Candler’s Home Healthcare is ranked among the top 25 percent of all agencies in the U.S. by HomeCare Elite.
  • The Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion is one of eleven breast centers in Georgia awarded a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.
  • Bob Bryant of the Georgia House of Representatives drafts an official State Representative resolution recognizing the exceptional care he received as a patient at St. Joseph’s/Candler.
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler receives 2011 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s (AHA) Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award. 
  • The Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion is awarded an $81,400 grant from the American Cancer Society to help break down the barriers that keep some women in the community from receiving a mammogram.
  • The Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion wins a grant from Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong foundation to establish a program called Cancer Transitions: Moving Beyond Treatment.
  • The Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion is recognized by SWOG (formerly the Southwest Oncology Group) as one of its top 10 affiliate sites in the country for placing patients in clinical trials.
  • St. Joseph’s/Candler’s Movement Disorders Program is designated as a National Parkinson Foundation Care Center, one of only thirteen in the country and the only one in Georgia.
  • St. Joseph's/Candler’s Diabetes Management program is awarded the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Education Recognition Certificate, which recognizes high quality diabetes self-management education programs.

 

 

National Recognition for Patient Care Excellence

St. Joseph's/Candler has a strong history of national award winning patient care excellence. With national certifications and accreditations in cancer care, rehabilitation, nursing, imaging quality and advanced laboratory processing, St. Joseph's/Candler delivers excellence every day to our patients. We take pride in achieving these high standards of care, yet continue to reach for improved patient experiences and stronger outcomes.   

Accreditations

The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To earn and maintain The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval, an organization must undergo an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years. 

St. Joseph’s/Candler holds quality as one of the Core Values of the health system. Quality and safety are also a part of the strategic goals for St. Joseph’s/Candler. A variety of internal and external initiatives contribute to the strategic importance of quality, safety, and transparency. Achieving the highest level of performance supported by efficient and safe processes is the result of the contributions made by all levels of staff in the system. One way this is recognized is by our sustained performance based on and continued accreditation by The Joint Commission for the hospitals, home care, laboratory, and Primary Stroke Center. In our most recent surveys, The Joint Commission granted our organization an accreditation decision of Accredited for all services surveyed at St. Joseph’s and Candler Hospital, which is indicative of our commitment to high quality patient care delivered in the most safe and efficient manner. The Health System participates in a “Continuous Service Readiness” program to ensure compliance with established standards and implement ways to continuously improve.

American College of Radiology (ACR)

ACR is the worldwide professional organization for radiologists that validates the image quality of X-rays. This accreditation is important to our facilities because the American College of Radiology insures that we provide imaging services that are safe, effective and accessible to those who need it. The mission of the ACR is to serve patients and society by maximizing the value of radiology, radiation oncology, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine and medical physics by advancing the science of radiology, improving the quality of patient care, positively influencing the socio-economics of the practice of radiology, providing continuing education for radiology and allied health professions and conducting research for the future of radiology.

ACR at the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion

The Radiation Oncology Center at the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology.

The ACR seal of accreditation represents the highest level of quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting specific Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards developed by ACR after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Patient care and treatment, patient safety, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement

American College of Radiology Accreditations

Accredited

  • MRI accredited at St. Joseph's Hospital, Candler Hospital and SJ/C Imaging - Pooler
  • Ultrasound accredited at St. Joseph's through ACAVL
  • Mammography accredited on both campuses and Telfair Breast Imaging - Eisenhower as required by FDA/ACR
  • Ultrasound on both campuses and Telfair Breast Imaging - Eisenhower
  • CT on both campuses and SJ/ C Imaging - Pooler
  • Nuclear Medicine on both campuses
  • PET-CT on both campuses 
  • Ultrasound - vascular at St. Joseph's Hospital

College of American Pathologists (CAP)

St. Joseph's Hospital, Candler Hospital and the Lewis Infusion Center laboratories all received accreditation from the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program,  recognized by the federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government's own inspection program. Inspectors examine records, quality control, staff, facilities, equipment, safety and management to determine how well the laboratory is serving patients.

Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)

Our Center for Rehabilitation is accredited by CARF, a private, not-for-profit organization promoting quality rehabilitation services. CARF accreditation means patients can be confident we have made a quality commitment to these services and programs. 

National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers

SJ/C earned the prestigious accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. The accreditation recognizes the complete spectrum of breast services available at the Telfair Pavilion and the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion from mammography to surgery to radiation oncology.  

American College of Surgeons (ACS)

St. Joseph's/Candler is one of only three networks in the United States granted approval by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, which sets standards for cancer programs. As a recipient of this prestigious honor, St. Joseph's/Candler ensures patients have access to:

  • Quality care close to home
  • Comprehensive care - a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
  • A multi-specialty team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
  • Information resources about clinical trials, education and support
  • Lifelong patient follow-up through a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results
  • Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care

Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL)

St. Joseph's Hospital has achieved accreditation from ICAVL. We have accreditation in carotid, arterial and venous vascular ultrasounds.

Others

  • Get with the Guidelines, an American Heart Association’s collaborative performance improvement program, demonstrated to improve adherence to evidence-based care of patients hospitalized with stroke. Both St. Joseph's Hospital and Candler Hospital earned Silver Plus for Stroke.
  • Participation in Georgia Hospital Association, Partnership for Health Accountability, Moving Georgia to the Top Ten initiative, St. Joseph’s/Candler has achieved “Top Ten” status by being in the Joint commission 90th percentile for AMI, Heart Failure, and Pneumonia appropriate care measures.
  • Other Quality/Performance Improvement initiatives include Premier/QUEST, Quality, Efficiency, Safety, and Transparency program with measures covering evidenced based care, inpatient and outpatient, Cost of Care, Mortality, Harm, Patient Experience, and Readmissions. Candler Hospital Composite Score for Inpatient.
  • Evidenced Based Care fourth quarter 2012 is 94%. St. Joseph’s Composite Score for Inpatient Evidenced Based Care fourth quarter 2012 is 96%. Outpatient Evidenced Based Care for Candler is 99% and for St. Joseph’s is 99%.
  • St. Joseph’s and Candler Hospitals also participate in the Quality-In-Sights (Q-HIP): Hospital Incentive Program. Q-HIP is an Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield hospital quality program that evaluates our network hospitals based on patient safety, health outcomes and patient satisfaction Candler Hospital Score: 88.62 and St. Joseph’s Hospital Score: 77.18. out of 107 possible.

 

 

 

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