Highland Hospital’s Emergency Department is the first in upstate New York to receive the silver standard - Level 2 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA), which recognizes emergency departments that provide excellent care for older adults. The designation is granted by The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), with support from The Gary and Mary West Health Institute and John A. Hartford Foundation.
By achieving the Level 2 GEDA accreditation, Highland’s Emergency Department has shown that it incorporates many best practices used by top geriatric-friendly emergency departments in the country, including providing interdisciplinary geriatric education and having geriatric appropriate equipment and supplies available.
The United States census projects that by 2030, one in every five residents will be retirement age and that older people will outnumber children for the first time in our nation’s history. “At Highland Hospital, we take great pride in providing compassionate, patient- and family-centered care to our older patients,” said Cindy Becker, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Highland Hospital. “This designation shows that our Emergency Department is ready to meet the health care demands of our community as our population ages.”
“Achieving this accreditation represents an affirmation of our commitment to providing excellent care that is tailored to the unique needs of geriatric patients,” said Tim Lum, M.D., Chief of the Emergency Department at Highland Hospital. “It validates the great work we have been doing for years in geriatric care and demonstrates that Highland Hospital’s Emergency Department is uniquely prepared to meet the needs of geriatric patients."
Highland Hospital’s Emergency Department has specially trained staff and protocols in place to streamline the care of elderly patients and a facility equipped with elder-friendly features. In addition to the Emergency Department, Highland has one of the most comprehensive and innovative suite of geriatric services in the region including a team of geriatrician hospitalists, an Acute Care for Elders unit, a Geriatric Fracture Center, the Evarts Joint Center, a Hospital Elder Life Program, and Palliative Care services.