Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital Earns National Accreditation for Geriatric Care in the ED

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 5, 2019 – Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital has received national recognition for how elderly patients are cared for in the hospital’s emergency department.

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) recently announced that Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital’s emergency department has achieved the bronze standard in their Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program. The bronze standard, also known as Level 3 GEDA accreditation, recognizes high standards of care for older adults.

“This honor reflects the hard work our physicians and staff have put in to care for these patients,” said Blodgett Hospital emergency department medical director Nathaniel Bishop, DO, “Many older adults visit emergency departments at a high rate and often present with multiple chronic conditions, plus face more social and physical challenges than the general population. GEDA accredited emergency departments have the necessary expertise, equipment and personnel in place to provide optimal care.”

According to ACEP, the GEDA program is the culmination of years of progress in emergency care of older adults. ACEP along with the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, Emergency Nurses Association, and American Geriatrics Society developed and released geriatric ED guidelines, recommending measures ranging from adding geriatric-friendly equipment to specialized staff to more routine screening for delirium, dementia, and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities.

“Blodgett Hospital has a history of caring for the elderly and this is another focus in that care,” said Julie Wolowitz, president, Blodgett Hospital. “I am proud of our physicians and staff that worked diligently toward this accreditation. Having an accredited geriatric emergency department lets seniors and their families know that we provide superior, talented care for the elderly.

The voluntary GEDA program, which includes three levels similar to trauma center designations, provides specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to target. The accreditation process provides more than two dozen best practices for geriatric care and the level of GEDA accreditation achieved depends upon how many of these best practices an emergency department can meet.

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