(8/13/10) – McLeod Regional Medical Center continues to hold internal celebrations as well as receive community recognition this week (August 16-20) in honor of the hospital receiving the 2010 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize. Awarded annually to only one hospital in the country, the AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize was presented to McLeod in San Diego, California, on Thursday, July 22. McLeod is the first hospital in South Carolina to receive this prestigious honor since the inception of the national Quest for Quality Prize in 2002.
Events for staff included a Quest for Quality Pep Rally that was held on Tuesday, August 17. To help McLeod celebrate this achievement with its staff and the community, cheerleaders from Wilson High School, West Florence High School, Williams Middle School and Southside Middle School as well as the Wilson High School Drum Line and the West Florence High School Step Team participated in the Pep Rally. In addition, four departments of McLeod Regional Medical Center competed in a Cheer Off with the McLeod Emergency Department winning the competition based on the audience’s feedback. The other departments who competed included Administration, the Orthopedic/Neurosurgical Unit, and a team of Nursing Directors.

McLeod has also received a letter of congratulations from South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford who stated, "This is quite an achievement and it has brought positive national recognition to South Carolina. The medical center has proven its effectiveness in patient-centered care and its commitment to quality programs and services. On behalf of the Palmetto State, thank you to the administrators, staff and medical teams for their hard work. I wish each of you the best for continued success."

In addition to recognition by Governor Sanford, the Florence City Council also designated August 16-20, 2010, as McLeod Health Week in recognition of the hospital being honored nationally for leadership and innovation in quality, safety and a commitment to patient care. During the Council’s August 9 meeting Resolution No. 2010-05 was passed by the City Council members who further resolved to encourage the citizens of Florence to recognize the physicians and staff of McLeod Health during this week as the medical center celebrates this national honor with its employees.

Florence Mayor Stephen Wukela added, "On behalf of the Florence City Council, we congratulate McLeod Regional Medical Center on receiving the 2010 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize. We are pleased to designate the week of August 16 – 20 as McLeod Health Week to celebrate with physicians, staff, and patients the Quest for Quality Prize and the commitment these employees have to constantly improving the care of our citizens who live and work in Florence."

Florence County Council also passed a resolution in recognition and appreciation of McLeod for its meritorious achievement and success in earning the Quest for Quality Prize during Council’s August 19 meeting.

McLeod was selected for the 2010 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize® by a multi-disciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts from across the nation for the honor, based on the McLeod culture of quality and efforts to achieve the Institute of Medicine’s six quality aims for health care — by engaging physicians, staff and leadership in efforts to improve quality through safety, patient-centered care, timeliness, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity.

"On behalf of McLeod Health, we thank our patients and community for entrusting us with their care. This achievement would not have been possible without our medical staff and our people who are dedicated to improving the quality of care we deliver to our patients and their families daily," stated Rob Colones, President and CEO of McLeod Health.

All U.S. hospitals are eligible for the annual American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize. McLeod Regional Medical Center is the 2010 winner, Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan is the finalist and Queens Hospital Center in New York received the citation of merit.

The goals of the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize are to raise awareness of the need for a hospital-wide commitment to highly reliable, exceptional quality, patient-centered care as well as to reward successful efforts to develop and promote system-wide approaches toward improvements in quality of care.

In 2007, McLeod was recognized with a Citation of Merit by the American Hospital Association in the ‘American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize.’

Among the previous honorees are Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA; Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH; Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk, VA; The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD; Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA; and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, NY.

McLeod continues to receive visits by groups of international physicians and medical leaders from the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States who come to Florence to meet with members of the hospital staff to gain insights into the ways in which McLeod has approached its quality and clinical improvement efforts.