LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 17, 2023) – Continuing Care Hospital has been selected as a recipient of the 2023 Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Quality Award. Continuing Care Hospital was recognized for the 11th time during the KHA Town Hall on Wednesday, May 17. The facility was recognized for lessons learned about a type of yeast called Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant fungus that can cause severe illness in patients with weakened immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced the potentially deadly fungus has been spreading rapidly in the United States, particularly at health care facilities. The fungus was first identified in the United States in 2016.
The KHA Quality Awards recognize hospital leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The award is presented each year to help raise awareness of the need for an organization-wide commitment to highly reliable, exceptional quality, and patient-centered care, and to recognize successful efforts to develop and promote improvements in quality of care.
“We are proud to receive a Quality Award from the Kentucky Hospital Association, especially for lessons learned about this potentially deadly fungus,” said Robert Desotelle, president, Continuing Care Hospital. “It is critical that we take measures to lessen the potential spread of Candida auris, and to be recognized for the work we are doing to keep our patients safe is extremely rewarding.”
Continuing Care Hospital is a long-term acute care hospital located within Saint Joseph Hospital. It operates as a “hospital within a hospital” and offers multiple services to manage complex medical needs that require an extended hospital stay. Its population includes medical, surgical, telemetry, and intensive care unit (ICU) patients with acute conditions with an average stay of 25 days.
Continuing Care Hospital has received the following Kentucky Hospital Association Quality awards:
- 2012 Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Award Winner (Safe Patient Handling)
- 2013 Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Award Winner (Fall Reduction)
- 2016 Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Award Winner (Pharmacy Led Medication
- Reconciliation)
- 2017 Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Award Winner (Antimicrobial Stewardship)
- 2018 Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Award Winner (Metaneb Therapy)
- 2018 Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Award Winner (De-Escalation of Personal Protective Equipment PPE)
- 2019 Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) Award Winner (Revamp Safe Patient Handling)
- 2020 Kentucky Hospital Associated (KHA) Award Winner (Zero Hospital Acquired Clostridioides Difficile Infections)
- 2021 Kentucky Hospital Associated (KHA) Award Winner (A Safe Patient Environment: A Culture of Safety)
- 2022 Kentucky Hospital Associated (KHA) Award Winner (Ventilator Weaning Rates; FY19, FY20, and FY21)
- 2023 Kentucky Hospital Associated (KHA) Award Winner (Candida auris: Lessons Learned)
To learn more about programs offered at Continuing Care Hospital, call 859.313.4366 or visit www.chisaintjosephhealth.org/continuing-care-hospital.
About CHI Saint Joseph Health
CHI Saint Joseph Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 100 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes, home health agencies and an ambulatory Care Center. The hospitals in CHI Saint Joseph Health are Flaget Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Jessamine, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, and Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. CHI Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to providing a wide array of services toward a goal of building a healthier future for all. CHI Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.
About Continuing Care Hospital
Continuing Care Hospital is a 57-bed, long-term acute care hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, located within Saint Joseph Hospital. Established in 2002, the facility is licensed as a general acute care hospital that serves residents of central and eastern Kentucky, and addresses the unique and complicated physical, emotional, spiritual, nursing and rehabilitation needs of long-term patients.
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