The American College of Emergency Physicians’ (ACEP) Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program has announced that the Syracuse VA Medical Center’s emergency department has achieved the silver standard- level two GEDA accreditation.
This accreditation program is designed to recognize those emergency departments that provide excellent care for older adults.
This accomplishment makes Syracuse one of only five VA facilities and one of only 42 hospitals nationwide to achieve level two or level one certification.
“This is yet another affirmation of our commitment to ensuring that, from the moment a veteran reaches our facility, they are truly being provided with the highest standards of the geriatric continuum of care,” said Syracuse VA Medical Center Director Frank Pearson. “By identifying these veterans at an early stage, we can affect their lives and potentially reduce subsequent hospital admissions and help to ensure optimal transitions and improved and sustained quality of life.”
The voluntary ACEP 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. A level two emergency department must incorporate many of these best practices, along with providing inter-disciplinary geriatric care.
“Today’s growing geriatric population makes it imperative that we adapt to their needs. If we can immediately identify and put action plans in place for our older and high-risk population of veterans, we are going to be more successful minimizing their risks for worsening outcomes. We are extremely proud of this designation,” Pearson said.
Photo: Frank Pearson