[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 27223]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 27223]]

        CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF SAINT JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 
achievement of one of West Virginia's finest healthcare facilities, 
Saint Joseph's Hospital in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Earlier this 
month, Saint Joseph's was recognized as one of the top 100 hospitals in 
the United States in a prestigious study conducted by the HCIA-Sachs 
Institute in conjunction with the University of Michigan School of 
Public Health,. This is an enormous honor for one of West Virginia's 
critical health care providers.
  St. Joseph's Hospital is an acute care regional healthcare facility. 
Located on the western edge of Wood County, the hospital's service area 
includes three counties in Ohio and eight counties in West Virginia, 
with a total population of 316,000. With the announcement of the top 
100 hospitals, Saint Joseph's became the first facility in West 
Virginia to receive this great recognition.
  I had the pleasure of visiting Saint Joseph's in October 1998, to 
partake in the ground breaking for their new $20 million extension. 
This extension has created over 100 new jobs at the hospital, adding to 
the 860 people already employed by Saint Joseph's. The extension 
replaced the physical facilities for surgical and emergency services, 
and consolidated the hospital's heart services.
  The HCIA-Sachs study selects the top 100 hospitals based on five 
categories, depending on the number of beds and teaching status, and 
ranks them based on seven measures of clinical, operational, and 
financial performance. Saint Joseph's has been recognized as one of the 
top twenty large community benchmark hospitals, with more than 250 
beds. The list encourages awareness of industry-wide benchmarks and the 
measurement of performance against peers. For example, the top 
hospitals have taken median average length of stay to a five-year low 
this year, and surpassed comparable hospitals in clinical quality 
measures, such as lower mortality and complications.
  I find it highly gratifying that one of West Virginia's finest 
hospitals has been nationally recognized by this great honor. It is 
particularly striking that Saint Joseph's has been distinguished by a 
study with such very high standards as one of the top twenty facilities 
of its kind. I am so thankful to the Saint Joseph's Hospital's CEO 
Stephens Mundy, its doctors and nurses, and all of its employees for 
the amazing work that they continue to do to serve their community. The 
people of Wood County, West Virginia, and the surrounding areas, are 
indeed fortunate to have you as part of their community. 
Congratulations on this great achievement.

                          ____________________