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Gracie Square Hospital Receives Planetree International's Highest Level of Achievement Award for Excellence in Person-Centered Care
New York, NY (January 9, 2024) – Gracie Square Hospital has once again been awarded Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care by Planetree International. This Person-Centered Care Certification® recognizes the organization’s achievement and innovation in the delivery of person-centered care. Gracie Square is one of only 99 healthcare organizations worldwide to earn this prestigious award!
Gold Certification represents the highest level of achievement in person-centered care, based on evidence and standards. Person-centered healthcare prioritizes the active participation of patients and their families throughout the healthcare process with an emphasis on partnership, compassion, transparency, inclusion, and quality.
“We are immensely proud to receive the Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care by Planetree International, a testament to our unwavering commitment to placing patients and their families at the heart of everything we do. This recognition belongs to every member of our interdisciplinary team at Gracie Square Hospital. Their dedication, compassion, and collaborative spirit have been pivotal in integrating person-centered care into every facet of our services. This recognition underscores our promise to deliver healthcare that respects the individual needs, values, and choices of those we serve, ensuring that every patient’s journey is as comfortable and empowering as possible, said Timothy P. McGarvey MSN, LMSW, RN, NEA-BC, Executive Director & Chief Nursing Officer at Gracie Square Hospital.
"Gracie Square Hospital is truly deserving of this tremendous honor, I am so proud how our clinicians and providers are always striving for excellence and providing the best clinical care to every single patient." said Smita Agarkar, MD, Service Chief, "Our focus remains on person-centered care and our patients and their families are our partners in care every day."
About Gracie Square Hospital
Since 1958, Gracie Square Hospital has offered compassionate, high-quality, evidence-based behavioral health care and takes a holistic approach focusing on the individual needs of each patient. Gracie Square Hospital is the only freestanding inpatient mental healthcare institution in Manhattan and has been consistently ranked in the top tier of behavioral health hospitals for patient experience. It was the first New York City hospital to be the recipient of the prestigious Planetree Gold Certification, is designated as a Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) Leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality, and most recently, was Magnet recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. For more information about Gracie Square Hospital, visit https://www.nygsh.org/.
About Planetree International
Planetree International is a mission based not-for-profit organization that has partnered with over 700 healthcare organizations around the world and across the care continuum to transform how care is delivered. Powered by over 50,000 focus group attendees comprised of patients, families, and staff, and 40 years of experience working with healthcare organizations, the Planetree approach emphasizes the quality of human interactions that occur within healthcare settings, the importance of connecting healthcare personnel to the purpose and meaning of their work, and practical strategies for engaging patients and family members as true partners in care. These elements have been consolidated into the Person-Centered Care Certification® Program, which provides organizations with a structured process to guide culture change efforts that yield improvements in clinical and operational outcomes. Drawing on this experience, in 2017 Planetree partnered with the National Academy of Medicine to introduce an evidence-based Guiding Framework for Patient and Family Engaged Care.
