News & Announcements

02.15.2012 Georgia Hospitals Rated on Infections

Piedmont Henry Hospital is dedicated to safe, quality care. The current data from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on central line-associated bloodstream infections in Medicare patients in intensive care units was higher than our peers for the three-month period recently reported CMS. Piedmont Henry Hospital is now part of an ongoing Piedmont Healthcare collaborative to reduce hospital acquired infections (including central lines) using evidenced based methods shown to reduce infections. We have developed a dashboard tracking hospital acquired infections in real time. We take this opportunity to improve very seriously. Our goal is zero infections, and we have programs in place, including a special team formed to address this issue to move us toward that. The recent addition of Jagdeep Singh, M.D., as chief medical officer, dedicates a leader in the medical staff to address quality and safety.

02.09.2012 Laurel Park is a Three Time Recipient of the Title “Top Nursing Home in America”

Piedmont Henry Hospital’s Laurel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility named a “Top Nursing Home in America” by the Consumers’ Research Council of America for the third consecutive year.

Laurel Park’s quality indicators were compared to 17,000 Medicare/Medicaid certified nursing homes throughout the nation. The inspection concentrated on eight different deficiency descriptions including mistreatment, quality of care, resident assessment, residents’ rights, nutrition and dietary, pharmacy, environmental services and administration.

The Consumers’ Research Council of America, a Washington, D.C. based research organization, provides consumers’ information guides for professional services throughout America.

02.09.2012 Laurel Park earns Top Score on Annual State Inspection

Piedmont Henry Hospital’s Laurel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility recently earned a zero deficiencies score on its annual state inspection.The three-day inspection conducted by the Department of Community Health took place in December 2011. The state agency determines whether a facility is in compliance with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidelines and whether the facility may participate in the Medicare/Medicaid programs for another year.

Laurel Park is one of seven facilities out of 93 surveyed in Georgia since July 2011 to receive a deficiency free inspection.

Laurel Park is an 89-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, fully licensed by the State of Georgia and accredited by the Joint Commission.

02.02.2012 Piedmont Henry Hospital Earns IBCLC Care Award

The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) and International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) recognize Piedmont Henry Hospital for excellence in lactation care.

Piedmont Henry Hospital received the IBCLC Care Award for providing a lactation program staffed by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants® (IBCLCs) which is available 5 to 7 days a week for breastfeeding families. In addition, Piedmont Henry Hospital demonstrated it has provided recent breastfeeding training for medical staff who care for new families, and have recently completed activities that help protect, promote and support breastfeeding.»

02.01.2012 Piedmont Henry Hospital Receives More Than $20,000 in Support of Its Real Men Wear Pink Campaign

Piedmont Henry Hospital received more than $20,000 in donations for its 2011 Real Men Wear Pink campaign. The campaign is an initiative by Piedmont Henry Hospital to raise awareness about the importance of early detection in the fight against breast cancer.

The Henry County community has responded strongly to the Real Men Wear Pink campaign by wearing pink throughout the month of October. And, several local businesses continued their support of the campaign through fundraising efforts again this year.

Each of the groups, Chick-fil-A at Eagle’s Landing, Tanger Outlet Center and Westbury Health and Rehabilitation Center, along with an individual donation, made financial contributions to the hospital’s Foundation to help further Piedmont Henry Hospital’s breast cancer awareness initiatives. In total the groups raised $20,202.11.

Chick-fil-A at Eagle’s Landing raised $665.00.
Tanger Outlet Center raised $18,931.11.
Westbury Health and Rehabilitation Center raised $576.00.
Individual donation $30.00.

Piedmont Henry Hospital is grateful to the Henry County community for its wonderful support of the hospital’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign. The hospital’s ultimate goal is to encourage women to take step towards early detection of breast cancer by scheduling a mammogram.

Tanger Outlet Center representatives Laura Simmons and Holly Duffey presented Charlie Scott, president and CEO of Piedmont Henry Hospital, Donna Braddy, director of Marketing & PR at Piedmont Henry Hospital and Adam Stanfield, the hospital’s Foundation Executive Director, with a check before the hospital’s entire Director/Manager staff on Thursday, January 26, 2012.

01.27.2012 Piedmont Henry Hospital Wins Statewide Patient Safety Award for Pressure Ulcer Prevention

The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) presented its prestigious 2011 Josh Nahum Quality and Patient Safety Award to Piedmont Henry Hospital for its project on reducing pressure ulcers. Piedmont Henry Hospital’s project titled, “Eliminating Harm: Journey to PUPP (Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program),” won third place in the highly-competitive infection prevention and control category. The annual award recognizes Georgia health care organizations for achievement in reducing the risk of medical errors and improving patient safety and medical outcomes.

Pressure ulcers are injuries to the skin caused by pressure and in combination with friction, and usually occur in patients who are confined to a bed for a prolonged period of time. Ulcers have the potential to interfere with physical, psychological and social well-being and can impact overall quality of life. When they occur, they can be painful, debilitating and potentially cause serious health problems or even death.

The goal of Piedmont Henry Hospital’s project was to reduce the occurrence of pressure ulcers in hospital patients. Using a pressure ulcer prevention program (PUPP) from Medline, a national health care distributor, staff learned about and implemented best practices to reach the goal. The practices included staff education, the use of skin care products and hands-on implementation. Training sessions on prevention strategies were offered and covered risk factors; proper skin care; when to turn patients so they did not stay on one side for too long and nutrition.

“Reducing pressure ulcers is one of the greatest challenges that hospitals face in caring for patients,” said Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) President Joseph Parker. “We applaud Piedmont Henry Hospital for its leadership and dedication in this important area and its commitment to providing the best and safest care possible for its patients.”

The Josh Nahum Quality and Patient Safety Award is co-sponsored by the Georgia Hospital Association’s Partnership for Health & Accountability, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and the SAFECARE campaign. SAFECARE is an organization created by Armando and Victoria Nahum in memory of their son. At 27-years-old Josh Nahum was injured in a skydiving accident and later died due to an infection. The Nahums are using SAFECARE to educate the public about infection prevention and are working in tandem with American hospitals and frontline caregivers in this effort.

01.24.2012 Piedmont Henry Hospital Honors Long Time Employees

For nearly 33 years Piedmont Henry Hospital employees have been a part of the Henry County community providing care for neighbors, relatives, friends and co-workers. Each year, Piedmont Henry Hospital takes the opportunity to say thank you to the employees who have chosen to make a difference in the lives of our patients for 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years.

A luncheon was held in honor of these employees at Eagle’s Landing Country Club on Thursday, January 19, 2012.

30 Year Employees pictured - left to right: Sharon Goddard, CCU; Lisa Grooms, Nursing Resources; Linda Puckett, Piedmont Outpatient Center – McDonough and Sherry Young, ACU

01.12.2012 Piedmont Henry Hospital Appoints New VP of Medical Affairs/Chief Medical Officer

Jagdeep Singh, MD, is the new Vice President for Medical Affairs (VPMA)/Chief Medical Officer for Piedmont Henry Hospital.

Dr. Singh brings approximately five years of experience as a VPMA in two healthcare systems. He comes to Piedmont Henry Hospital from Minneapolis, MN where he worked as the VPMA for the 390-bed Fairview Southdale Hospital, which is part of the seven-hospital Fairview Health Services system. Prior to this, Dr. Singh held the VPMA position at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buffalo, NY, which is part of the Catholic Health System.

Dr. Singh completed a residency in Family Practice in Sylvania, Ohio, and a Fellowship in Emergency Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, TN. Prior to becoming a VPMA, Dr. Singh was an emergency physician as well as the EMS Medical Director in Columbus, GA.

Dr. Singh has an MBA in the Physician Executive Program from Auburn University and is a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

01.01.2012 Henry County’s Only Hospital Becomes Piedmont Henry Hospital Henry Medical Center now part of the

STOCKBRIDGE/ATLANTA (January 1, 2012) – Today, executives from Piedmont Healthcare met with their newest employees at Piedmont Henry Hospital to welcome them into the Piedmont Healthcare family of community hospitals. After more than a year of thorough and conscientious planning, this day marks an important change for Henry County’s community hospital, from Henry Medical Center to Piedmont Henry Hospital.

To celebrate this occasion, which brings together the two healthcare organizations, Piedmont Healthcare executives will be on site at the 2012 New Year’s Resolution Run 5K/10K in Stockbridge and some will be participating in this afternoon’s race, running beside Piedmont Henry Hospital employees.

“What better way to mark the New Year and a new union, then by running alongside one another for a good cause,” said Ed Lovern, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Piedmont Healthcare. “Piedmont Henry Hospital brings together two organizations dedicated to serving their local communities, cementing the prospect of enhanced healthcare in Henry County.”

During the first week of January, the community will start to see signage changes that will continue over the next couple of months. Piedmont Henry Hospital will continue to provide residents with access to the doctors and nurses that they have seen at Henry Medical Center, but behind them will be the resources and expertise of the Piedmont Healthcare system.

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“This process was first initiated in spring 2010, with the knowledge that an affiliation with another healthcare organization would benefit the residents of Henry County and the community as a whole,” said Charlie Scott, president and chief executive officer of Piedmont Henry Hospital. “In Piedmont Healthcare, we have found an organization that shares our commitment to this community and a strong history of clinical excellence – the future of healthcare in Henry County is a bright one.”

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About Piedmont Henry Hospital
Piedmont Henry Hospital is a 215-bed not-for-profit community hospital located in Stockbridge where leading edge technology and first class care come together in our centers of excellence in cardiovascular care, orthopaedics, surgery, critical care, women’s health, emergency and diagnostics. Piedmont Henry Hospital joined the Piedmont Healthcare family of community hospitals on Jan. 1, 2012, and was previously known as Henry Medical Center. With more than 400 physicians on staff and nearly 500 nurses, Piedmont Henry Hospital is committed to providing high-quality care and outstanding service. For more information, visit piedmonthenry.org.

About Piedmont Healthcare
Piedmont Healthcare (PHC), a not-for-profit organization, is the parent company of Piedmont Hospital, a 529-bed acute tertiary care facility in the north Atlanta community of Buckhead and the top acute-care community hospital in metro Atlanta in the 2011-12 U.S. News and World Reports Best Hospitals list; Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 157-bed, acute-care community hospital in Fayetteville; Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 42-bed community hospital in Jasper; and Piedmont Newnan Hospital, a 143-bed, acute-care community hospital in Newnan; and Piedmont Henry Hospital, a 215-bed acute-care community hospital in Stockbridge. PHC also is the parent company of Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI), comprised of nearly 100 affiliated cardiovascular specialists in Piedmont Heart Institute Physicians with over 25 locations across north Georgia; the Piedmont Physicians Group, a multi-specialty group with more than 150 primary care physicians in over 50 offices, in addition to more than 20 specialists in over 15 locations across greater Atlanta; Piedmont Clinic, a 800-member physician network; and Piedmont Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic entity for private fundraising initiatives. Three Piedmont Healthcare hospitals—Piedmont Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital and Piedmont Mountainside Hospital—have received top ratings from patients among metro Atlanta hospitals according to the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey results for the past three years. For more information about Piedmont Healthcare, visit piedmont.org.

11.29.2011 Attorney General’s Office Gives Green Light to Partnership - HMC to be Part of Piedmont Jan. 1

After months of reviewing documents and considering testimony given at a public hearing in October, the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia gave Henry Medical Center the green light to join the Piedmont Healthcare system.

The partnership becomes official on January 1, 2012. “We are looking forward to the day the Piedmont-Henry partnership will be official,” said R. Timothy Stack, president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare. “It’s fitting that on New Year’s Day, Piedmont will be participating in the Eagle Has Landed 5K run and fundraiser for revitalizing Eagle’s Landing Parkway. Becoming a part of this community is something we have been enjoying for years, and there is a lot to look forward to in 2012.”

In August 2011, The Boards of Directors of Henry Medical Center and Piedmont Healthcare and the Hospital Authority of Henry County announced the approval of the detailed terms for the addition of Henry Medical Center to Piedmont Healthcare.

“I am truly excited about what Piedmont Healthcare will bring to our hospital and to the citizens of Henry County,” said Jeff Mills, chairman of the Affiliation Steering Committee for Henry Medical Center. “The favorable finding by the Attorney General’s office is the last of several validations that a promising future as part of the Piedmont system is on the horizon.”

Georgia’s Office of the Attorney General conducts a public review process for all transactions related to the acquisition of not-for-profit hospitals in Georgia.

11.01.2011 2011 Christmas Tree Lighting at HMC

Henry Medical Center presents its 2011 Annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Thursday, December 1 from 6 P.M to 8 P.M on the hospital’s South Lawn.

Take in the spirit of the holiday season as you enjoy carriage rides with Santa, refreshments and music provided by local choirs including HeartSong Henry, The Tussahaw Young Singers, HMC Employee Choir, Pate’s Creek Elementary School and Cotton Indian Elementary School. This year’s Honorary Tree Lighter is Dr. Joe Blissit.

Special thank you to our sponsors: Brasfield & Gorrie, Christmas Décor, Einstein’s Bros. Bagel, The Henry Players and Sodexo.

For more information contact Michelle Nunnally at 678-604-1026.

10.10.2011 Parade of Pumpkins on Display at HMC

The Henry Arts Alliance’s Parade of Pumpkins is on display at Henry Medical Center. The pumpkins arrived at the hospital on Monday, October 10 and are part of the McDonough Library’s Annual Fall Festival and promotion of arts and literacy in the community.

Local artists were asked by the Henry Arts Alliance to pick a storybook character and paint a pumpkin featuring that character. Pumpkins painted include characters from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland, The Wicked Witch, The Wizard of Oz, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

The pumpkins will be on display at Henry Medical Center until Monday, October 17 when they will be moved to the McDonough Library.

The McDonough Library will host its free Annual Fall Festival on Friday, October 21, 2011 from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. Children are encouraged to wear costumes and take part in the festival’s costume parade, snacks and arts & crafts. Storytelling for all ages will be provided by the Southern Crescent Order of Storytellers and library staff.

The McDonough Library is located at 1001 Florence McGarity Boulevard just off Highway 81 East in McDonough. For more information call 770-954-2806.

09.29.2011 HMC’s Laurel Park Named a Best Place to Work

Henry Medical Center’s Laurel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility is named a Top 100 Best Places to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle recently announced the top 100 employers in the metro Atlanta area during its 7th Annual Best Places to Work Awards event held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis last Friday. Each year, the Atlanta Business Chronicle in partnership with Quantum Workplace surveys metro Atlanta employers to find the Best Places to Work. This year 482 companies and organizations were nominated. Employees at the companies and organizations were then surveyed to determine the final list of 100 employers in three categories: large employer, medidum-sized employers and small employer.

Henry Medical Center’s Laurel Park comes in at #30 on the medium-sized category which recognizes companies and/or organizations with 101 to 500 employees in the metro Atlanta area.

Laurel Park is an 89-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, fully licensed by the State of Georgia and accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. It is owned and operated by Henry Medical Center. Patients may be referred to Laurel Park at Henry Medical Center through a variety of sources, including physicians, discharge planners at hospitals, case managers, and family members.

09.05.2011 Henry Medical Center’s Laurel Park Receives Van through Grant from the Hospital’s Foundation

Henry Medical Center Foundation (HMCF) recently received a $48,000 grant from the Chaparral Foundation to purchase a 10 passenger van for the hospital’s Laurel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility.

The van, which has a wheelchair lift, will allow staff at Laurel Park to take residents on outings including local shopping trips and sporting events in Atlanta.
A reception was held Wednesday, August 31 at Laurel Park as residents and HMC staff gathered to celebrate the van’s delivery from Allan Vigil Ford Lincoln Mercury.

08.30.2011 HMC Announces the Real Men of the 2011 Real Men Wear Pink campaign

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. During October, Henry Medical Center works to spread pink throughout Henry County. The goal is to encourage women to take a step towards early detection of breast cancer by scheduling a mammogram. For the third consecutive year, ten local men have agreed to help spread the hospital’s message by participating in this award winning campaign.

The 2011 Real Men are:
• Andy Pippin, City of Hampton
• Shane Thompson, Shane’s Rib Shack
• Chuck Spahos, Henry County Solicitor
• Montá Brown, McDonough City Council
• Judge Jim Chafin, State Court
• Jimmy Carter, Southern Belle Farm
• Ken Wright, Publix at Eagle’s Landing
• Paul White, Chick-fil-A at Eagle’s Landing
• Kent Booth, Eagle’s Landing Middle School
• Brian Strickland, Smith, Welch, Webb & White

Henry Medical Center needs the help of its community to paint the county pink.

You can participate in several ways.
- Promote this campaign within your organization and ask your staff (men and women) to wear a pink shirt on selected days during October. At Henry Medical Center, we have designated Fridays as Real Men Wear Pink days.
- Designate one of your monthly meetings as “Wear Pink” Day. Take a photo of your staff and e-mail it to us for display on our website. Visit http://www.henrymedical.com and click on the “Share Your Pink Photo” button on the right to e-mail your pink photo.
- Wear a pink shirt or tie to meetings that you attend in October and mention our campaign wherever possible.
- If you have access to a marquee or signage… promote the campaign.

The Real Men Wear Pink Breast Cancer Awareness campaign officially kicks off Saturday, October 1, 2011. For more information on the Henry Medical Center Real Men Wear Pink Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, please contact Donna Braddy at 678-604-5187 or Michelle Nunnally at 678-604-1026.

08.25.2011 Guess who HMC’s Real Men Wear Pink of 2011 are?

Henry Medical Center’s Real Men Wear Pink Breast Cancer Awareness campaign is gearing up for 2011. The men have been selected. Can you guess who they are?

08.24.2011 HMC & Piedmont Healthcare agree on Terms of Partnership

The Boards of Directors of Henry Medical Center and Piedmont Healthcare and the Hospital Authority of Henry County announced today that they have approved the detailed terms for the addition of Henry Medical Center to Piedmont Healthcare.
The relationship will involve a long-term lease of assets from the Hospital Authority of Henry County and a newly reconstituted Board of Directors of Henry Medical Center, which will become
a subsidiary of Piedmont Healthcare. Over the next 90 to 120 days, necessary regulatory approvals will be pursued prior to the signing of definitive agreements, with projected “go live” of the new organization by January 2012.

Commitments by Piedmont Healthcare as part of the agreement include:

• Reconstituting the Henry Medical Center Board with a majority of representation comprised of community members
and physicians; leadership from Piedmont Healthcare will also serve in a Board capacity.
• Continuing to meet all commitments made by HMC to the Authority related to the provision of care to the
disadvantaged, the uninsured, and the indigent, and to the provision of community benefits.
• Guaranteeing the obligations of Henry County relating to the existing bond debt of HMC.
• Relieving Henry County of its obligation to pay HMC approximately $6 million a year for indigent care.
• Working with HMC’s board and management to develop and implement a multi-year plan to establish new clinical
services and expand existing services.
• Providing a significant amount of funds for capital investments for the benefit of HMC and its community.
• Continuing HMC’s financial and other support to community organizations, including local educational institutions.

“I am truly excited about what Piedmont Healthcare will bring to our hospital and to the citizens of Henry County,” said Jeff Mills, Chairman of the Henry Medical Center Board of Directors. “During our exhaustive selection process, Piedmont demonstrated they were the right partner for Henry Medical Center.”

“Piedmont has validated our decision during the development of the definitive agreement that will guide our relationship into the future,” continued Mills. “I look forward with great anticipation to our promising future with Piedmont Healthcare.”

R. Timothy Stack, president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare added, “We look forward to sharing our experience with Henry Medical Center and the Henry County community – a strong spirit of collaboration, the highest quality of care, and our solid track record and success in running community hospitals.”

About Henry Medical Center
Henry Medical Center is a 215-bed not-for-profit community hospital located in Stockbridge where leading edge technology and first class care come together in our centers of excellence in cardiovascular care, orthopedics, surgery, critical care, women’s health, emergency and diagnostics. With more than 400 physicians on staff and nearly 500 nurses, Henry Medical Center is committed to providing high-quality care and outstanding service. For more information, visit henrymedical.com.

About Piedmont Healthcare
Piedmont Healthcare (PHC), a not-for-profit organization, is the parent company of Piedmont Hospital, a 481-bed acute tertiary care facility in the north Atlanta community of Buckhead and the top acute-care community hospital in metro Atlanta in the 2011-12 U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals list; Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 157-bed, acute-care community hospital in Fayetteville; Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 42-bed community hospital in Jasper; and Piedmont Newnan Hospital, a 143-bed, acute-care community hospital in Newnan. PHC also is the parent company of Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI), comprised of more than 100 affiliated cardiovascular specialists in Piedmont Heart Institute Physicians with over 30 locations across north Georgia; the Piedmont Physicians Group, a multi-specialty group with more than 100 primary care physicians in over 35 offices, in addition to more than 20 specialists in over 15 locations across greater Atlanta; Piedmont Clinic, a 700-member physician network; and Piedmont Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic entity for private fundraising initiatives. Three Piedmont Healthcare hospitals—Piedmont Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital and Piedmont Mountainside Hospital—have received top ratings from patients among metro Atlanta hospitals according to the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey results for the past three years. For more information about Piedmont Healthcare, visit piedmont.org.

08.24.2011 HMC Foundation Hosts 8th Annual Pacemaker 5000

More than 1,000 people gathered for Henry Medical Center Foundation’s 2011 Pacemaker 5000 5K/10K run, 1 mile walk and Tot Trot presented by Southern Heart Specialists, P.C. on Saturday, August 20 at Crystal Lake Golf & Country Club. This year’s race was held at night and raised more than $40,000 for programs and services at Henry Medical Center.

Prior to the start of the run/walk, participants were entertained by Mr. Mustache a local band with a sound best described as European folk with a taste of American Bluegrass. A luau immediately following the race was presented by The Henry Council for Quality Growth featuring Crystal Lake’s Executive Chef Zach Patterson. The luau was held at the Crystal Lake Aquatics Pavilion with music provided by DJ Charles Hoard.

Race winners include:
Overall 10K Men’s winner
Thomas Williams 42:27

Overall 10K Women’s winner Suzanne McGuire 44:35

Men’s Masters 10K winner Tim Emmett 44:29

Women’s Masters 10K winner Courtney Wall 54:19

Overall 5K Men’s winner
Jack Lovern 17:59

Overall 5K Women’s winner
Faith Roth 20:51

Men’s Masters 5K winner
Ricardo Rodriguez 18:29

Women’s Masters 5K winner
Lane Holmes 23:14

Without the generous contributions of time, goods, and financial support from the community, the Foundation would not be able to carry out its mission of providing and promoting activities that benefit Henry Medical Center and the community it serves.

08.11.2011 HMC Employee Named Social Worker of the Year by GHCA

Shy Sharif, MSW, social services coordinator at Henry Medical Center’s Laurel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility, has been named the 2011 Social Worker of the Year by the Georgia Health Care Association’s Georgia Society of Nursing Home Social Workers.

Sharif has served as Laurel Park’s social services coordinator since March 2006. For the past six years, Sharif has also been very active with the Georgia Health Care Association (GHCA). She is currently serving the organization at the state level as vice president of GHCA’s Georgia Society of Nursing Home Social Workers. Sharif has previously served the organization at the local level as a past president and vice president of the Georgia Society of Nursing Home Social Workers’ Metro Atlanta Council. She is a member of the Clayton State University Advisor Board - Geriatric Certificate Program.

Sharif has a Bachelors degree in Social Work as well as a Masters degree in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University.

07.15.2011 HMC’s Laboratory Completes Successful Review by The Joint Commission

Henry Medical Center’s Laboratory recently underwent a rigorous three-day inspection by surveyors from The Joint Commission resulting in the hospital’s lab earning an outstanding review and two-year accreditation.

Patient safety and quality care are priorities for The Joint Commission. “The laboratory staff at Henry Medical Center works very hard throughout the year to ensure we are meeting the standards established by The Joint Commission and we are pleased to have had such a successful survey,” said Barbara Rainone, director of Laboratory at Henry Medical Center.

The Joint Commission accredits more than 18,000 health care organizations, including approximately 3,000 clinical laboratories. The Joint Commission is the gold standard in health care accreditation, with nearly 60 years of experience across the full spectrum of health care settings. Joint Commission accreditation, which is designed to uphold the highest level of patient care, provides the most comprehensive evaluation process in the industry.