IRVING The behavioral health program serving Lake Shore Health Care Center in Irving has been recognized nationally for clinical performance and high quality patient outcomes. Nancy Kelleher, RN, MS, program director for the 20-bed inpatient unit, said the award was presented during ceremonies on Sept. 28 in San Antonio, Texas at an event hosted by Horizon Health, the largest behavioral health management company in the U.S.
"I'm so proud of our team," Kelleher said. "They're a talented group of people and they love what they do. Because of that, they're committed to helping our patients get better."
Kelleher said the award is based on data compiled in 2011 ranging from financial performance to program documentation and the results of a two-day on-site audit conducted by a clinical consultant from the Horizon group. The audit showed high scores in patient satisfaction and "above the national average improvements in patient outcomes," Kelleher noted. While Horizon represents over 100 contracts in the U.S., the Irving team rose above six finalists in the region to eventually win the top spot. Charleen A. Ryan, RN, MA, MFT, Vice President of Acute Patient Care, said a distinct feature of the unit is its high quality clinical programming.
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With a national award received for excellence in behavioral health programming at Lake Shore Health Care Center in Irving are (from left ) Charleen A. Ryan, RN, MA, MFT, Vice President of Acute Patient Care; Nancy Kelleher, RN, MS, program director for the hospital’s Behavioral Health Services; and Laura Norwood, RN, BS, Nurse Manager.
"The other unique piece of our Behavioral Healthcare here is the high number of Master's prepared counselors. This really adds to the quality and consistency of care for our patients," she explained.
Lake Shore Health Care Center's Behavioral Health Services is a short-term acute care setting treating men and women ages 18 and over with acute psychiatric disorders. Each patient participates in the development of a strength based plan for treatment along with therapeutic and recreational activities. Medical Director Israr Abbasi, M.D., expressed pride for the staff and program.
"We started out with a goal to make TLC Psychiatry a program where we would want to bring our own family, and it seems our team has done that," Dr. Abbasi congratulated. "The whole team and everyone who deserves credit for this. The hospital has supported us. Management has provided the leadership. The staff has worked hard. We will continue to strive to make this the best place both for our patients and staff."
Jack DeVaney, CEO for Horizon Health, said the award recognizes a program "for its outstanding contributions to clinical excellence and high quality patient outcomes. The program is a leader in innovative clinical practice and demonstrates clinical proficiency through its clinical team's contributions to their respective clinical specialties."
According to the official, "the recipient of this award provides quality treatment services and educational contributions to patients, families, and the hospital community, provides an outstanding monitoring system, and exceeds clinical benchmarks."
The unit opened 17 years ago at Lake Shore Health Care Center and has been managed by Horizon Health for the past two and a half years. Linda Summers, Chief Operating Officer at the hospital, said the recognition award enhances the reputation of the health system as a leader in service excellence and clinical care.
"We promote the importance of the patient experience in everything we do and this award is an example of the level of excellence we can reach when those expectations are met," Summers said. "We're extremely proud of each member of the Behavioral Health team and of everyone at Lake Shore who supports their efforts."
The program is located at 845 Route 5 & 20, Irving. For more information, call (716)951-7238. Lake Shore Health Care Center is an affiliate of Lake Erie Regional Health System of New York (LERHSNY).
The scope of services at Lake Shore includes Behavioral Health, a 24-hour hospital-based Emergency Department, Rehabilitation and Therapy Services (including cardiac, physical, respiratory, occupational and speech/language), home health, long-term care and in-patient care.
In addition, the facility provides a full range of surgical services, diagnostic and imaging services and laboratory testing.
