Spectrum Health Honored for Outstanding Achievement by VHA Inc.

Spectrum Health was recognized with five 2012 Leadership Awards for outstanding achievements in Community Benefit, Sustainability and Clinical Excellence, by VHA Inc., a national health care network of not-for-profit hospitals and non-acute care facilities.

Spectrum Health was one of only two organizations recognized with the VHA Leadership Award for Community Benefit for the system’s focus and commitment to provide quality care benefiting the community, and for effective strategies to build awareness.

The award recognized achievement in three areas:

Demonstration of a comprehensive community benefit strategy
Highlighting a “best of class” community benefit program
Providing an effective communications plan to tell the community benefit story

Spectrum Health was also one of eight in the nation to be honored with the VHA Leadership Award for Sustainability Excellence for pioneering innovative and resourceful programs that reduce the environmental impact on the community. Spectrum Health was recognized in both the “Best in Class” and the “Impact and Innovation” categories for demonstrating a significant commitment toward creating a more sustainable future.

Spectrum Health Reed City was one of 28 honored with a VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence for meeting or exceeding national performance standards for clinical care and improving the patient experience. The hospital was recognized for achieving top performance on clinical core measures established and tracked by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, including the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Services (HCAHPS) survey, which measures hospital patient satisfaction nationwide.

Spectrum Health was also presented with the President’s Award of Excellence for winning in three out of four VHA Leadership categories.

By recognizing award-winning institutions, VHA hopes other not-for-profit hospitals and health systems will apply these leading practices to increase their community impact and improve and expand upon their existing community benefit programs. VHA serves more than 1,350 not-for-profit hospitals and more than 30,000 non-acute health care organizations nationwide.

The awards were presented at VHA’s recent Annual Leadership Conference in Denver,
Colo.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of nine hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a state of the art children’s hospital that opened in January 2011, and 190 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling more than 600 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 600,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with more than 18,000 employees. The organization provided $176.5 million in community benefit during its 2011 fiscal year.