DECEMBER 20, 2005 (Far Rockaway, NY) - - - St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, South Shore, has recently earned accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP). Accreditation by HFAP demonstrates that the Hospital met the standards set forth by HFAP to provide high quality care and compliance with governmental regulations.

“We are pleased to have earned accreditation by HFAP,” said Luis A. Hernandez, Chief Executive Officer of St. John’s. “The Hospital seeks voluntary accreditation because we are committed to providing our patients with the highest quality of care, and being accredited by HFAP challenges us to attain that high level of care.” St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is also accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, another national hospital accrediting body.

HFAP, recognized nationally by the federal government, state governments, insurance carriers and managed care organizations, has been accrediting healthcare facilities for more than 60 years. Dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of patient care, HFAP is one of only two national voluntary accreditation programs with “Deeming Authority” from the Health Care Financing Administration of the Federal Government to accredit hospitals and their clinical laboratories.

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, a not-for-profit 332-bed hospital, received accreditation after surveyors measured the facility against a benchmark of hundreds of recognized standards relating to each area and function of the facility.