RUSSELL, Ky. - By demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's national standards for health care quality and safety, Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital has earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval, hospital officials said.

The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval is awarded to health care facilities that have demonstrated compliance to the

standards of performance set by the Joint Commission, which measures health

care quality in America and around the world.

Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital, including services at the main hospital and at the Bellefonte Behavioral Health Center, achieved full standard compliance during a recent survey, with a score of 96 out of a possible 100. The review of OLBH HomeCare Services also resulted in full standard compliance with a score of 98 out of a possible 100.

"The hospital seeks accreditation to demonstrate our commitment to our patients' safety and quality care," said Bon Secours Kentucky Board of Directors Chairman John McGinnis. "Only 13 percent of hospitals surveyed by the Joint Commission accomplish full standard compliance with a 96-plus score or better and we are one of them. The Joint Commission score shows our patients can place the highest confidence in our quality of care."

"The dedication to quality that is demonstrated by our employees is outstanding," OLBH Senior Risk Manager/Corporate Responsibility Officer Connie McCarthy said. "The Joint Commission surveyors perform a rigorous review and leave no stone unturned when examining a facility. We are so proud that Our Lady of Bellefonte is among the top 13 percent earning such an exceptional score."

"Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic, and organization-wide improvement in an organization's performance and the outcomes of care," Kurt Patton, executive director of the Joint Commission Hospital Accreditation Program said. "The community should be proud that Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital is focusing on the most challenging goal - to continuously raise quality and patient safety to higher levels."

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in healthcare organizations.

The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 17,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States, including approximately 9,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and 8,000 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.

A part of the Bon Secours Health System, OLBH features a staff of more than 1,200 people and state-of-the-art equipment. On-campus facilities include a Same Day Surgery Center, a cancer treatment center, the Vitality Center, a cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation center, a community wellness center, a cardiac catheterization lab, the Bellefonte Behavioral Health Center (a psychiatric and drug rehabilitation center) and a 24-hour emergency room.

Additional services are offered throughout the community such as HomeCare Services, a hearing center, a Diabetes Center, a Mobile Health Center, plus four Outreach Centers providing primary care to residents in outlying areas. The OLBH Diagnostic Imaging Center, located in Ironton, Ohio, features an "open" MRI and is adjacent to the hospital's Urgent Care Center.

For information on OLBH, please visit our Web site at www.olbh.com or call the CareLine at (606) 833-CARE (2273).