JULY 5, 2006 (Far Rockaway, NY) - - - St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, South Shore, recently was awarded accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for its Hospital, Behavioral Health Care and Behavioral Health Opioid Treatment Programs. This means that St. John’s met all 250 standards for the hospital accreditation component. In addition, JCAHO validated that the Hospital complies with the National Patient Safety Goals, an initiative to improve hospital stays through patient and staff awareness and improved practices.

“We are very proud to have received accreditation, especially since JCAHO has set the bar higher than ever,” said Luis A. Hernandez, Chief Executive Officer of St. John’s. “Our staff works very diligently and we remain committed to ongoing quality improvement and to providing care in the safest environment possible,” he added.

Mr. Hernandez was referring to the entirely new approach JCAHO has taken. Through its unannounced survey process, the surveys are no longer a snapshot in time of hospital care but a review of ongoing compliance with standards for patient care and safety.

The Hospital’s laboratory, which is reviewed separately, was awarded accreditation status in May, 2005.