St. Mary’s Hospital Home Health Services honored

St. Mary's Hospital Home Health Services in Streator was one of a select group of home care agencies honored for 25 or more years in the Illinois HomeCare Council (IHCC), an association that represents nearly 250 home care and hospice agencies statewide.

St. Mary’s, along with 39 other providers, were inducted into the Quarter Center Club, which was established this year to honor agencies for the dedication and commitment to IHCC and for serving as pioneers in the field of home care.

“We are honored to be the only agency in the area to receive this recognition,” stated Becky Tirevold, manager of community health.

Founded in 1960, IHCC is the nation’s first home care association and is dedicated to shaping and supporting the entire spectrum of home care providers in the state.

Home care is a broad term that describes a range of health and social services. These services are delivered at home to recovering, disabled, chronically or terminally ill persons in need of medical, nursing, social or therapeutic treatment and/or assistance with the essential activities of daily living.

St. Mary's Hospital earns quality respiratory care recognition

St. Mary's Hospital has earned quality respiratory care recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.

Approximately 15% of United States hospitals have received this award. The program was started by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in 2003 to help consumers identify those facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care.

St. Mary's Hospital earned the designation by adhering to a strict set of criteria governing respiratory care services. Those criteria include proper credentialing of all therapists delivering bedside care, having respiratory therapists available 24 hours a day, and having a doctor of medicine or osteopathy designated as medical director of the services.

Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physician’s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.

“I am very proud of our respiratory team,” said Shari Merriman, manager of respiratory care. “They treat all of their patients as if they were a part of their own family by providing quality care.”

St. Mary's Hospital is staffed with ten registered respiratory therapists, two certified respiratory therapists, one respiratory care practitioner and three respiratory therapy students. The medical director of St. Mary's Hospital’s respiratory care services is Dr. Indra Pal, board certified in internal medicine.

To learn more about St. Mary's Hospital’s services, visit www.stmaryshospital.org or call 815-673-4594.

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