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2006 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 416
Commending Augusta Medical Center for national recognition as an outstanding community hospital.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 3, 2006
Agreed to by the Senate, March 9, 2006

 

WHEREAS, Augusta Medical Center was established in 1994 in Fishersville, Virginia, near the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is a health care provider for Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County, and other cities and counties encompassing the Shenandoah Valley; and

WHEREAS, Augusta Medical Center is located in Augusta County, one of the largest counties in Virginia, with 968 square miles; and

WHEREAS, Augusta Medical Center’s mission is to assure complete access to services,  provide or coordinate integrated, comprehensive medical care, and improve the overall health of the communities; and

WHEREAS, Augusta Medical Center is designated by the federal government as a Sole Community Provider and Rural Referral Hospital, meaning it is the only hospital available to a wide rural population; and

WHEREAS, Augusta Medical Center is committed to the highest standards of clinical excellence, satisfaction, and stewardship that assure continued viability and promote community confidence to a level consistent with the finest community health systems in existence; and

WHEREAS, Augusta Medical Center, with 255 beds, has active full-time physicians, over 225 primary care services, 1,900 employees, over 875 volunteers, over 12,000 annual admissions accounting for 54,000 inpatient days, over 50,000 emergency visits annually, and over 250,000 annual outpatient and physician practice visits; and

WHEREAS, according to the U.S. News and World Report best hospital distinction, Augusta Medical Center has been distinguished as a Top 100 Best Regional Hospital in the United States, 1999; Top Best Orthopedic Hospital, 2000; and Top 100 Intensive Care Units in the United States, 2000, 2001, and 2002; and

WHEREAS, Augusta Medical Center was nationally recognized with a 2006 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence, based on a study issued by HealthGrades, Inc., the leading health care ratings organization that provides ratings and profiles of hospitals, nursing homes, and physicians to consumers, corporations, health plans, and hospitals; and

WHEREAS, millions of consumers and hundreds of the nation's largest employers, health plans, and hospitals rely on HealthGrades' independent ratings and decision-support resources to make health care decisions based on the quality of care; and

WHEREAS, to recognize hospitals in the top 5% for clinical excellence, HealthGrades' fourth annual Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study analyzed nearly 39 million hospitalizations over the years 2002, 2003, and 2004, at all 5,122 of the nation's nonfederal hospitals, and those with the lowest mortality and complication rates were named Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence; and

WHEREAS, hospitals receiving this award were rated in the top 5% in the nation in terms of mortality and complication rates for 28 diagnoses and procedures rated by HealthGrades, and patients choosing a hospital receiving this award are, on average, 27% less likely to face mortality, and 14%  less likely to suffer from a major complication; and

WHEREAS, Augusta Medical Center has been awarded the 2006 HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence and is ranked among the top 5% in the nation for exceptional quality care; other national rankings for the Center awarded by HealthGrades include: Top 10% in Nation for Orthopedic Services, Top 5% in the Nation for Gastrointestinal Services, Top 10% in Nation for Pulmonary Services, and Top 10% in Nation for General Surgery; and

WHEREAS, only 277 out of 5,122 nonfederal, acute care hospitals qualified for this prestigious award in 2006 and Augusta Medical Center is recognized for its innovative training techniques that have produced confident, highly skilled physicians, nurses, and management staff who employ creative solutions to unique health care issues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Augusta Medical Center for national recognition as an outstanding community hospital; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dick Graham, President and CEO of Augusta Medical Center, as an expression of the General Assembly's gratitude for its commitment to providing outstanding health care service to the citizens of the Shenandoah Valley.