Saint Joseph Health System Facilities Earn Quality Respiratory Care Recognition in National Program

Lexington, KY, June 03, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Several facilities within Saint Joseph Health System have earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.

The QRCR program was started by the American Association for Respiratory Care in 2003 to help consumers identify those facilities utilizing qualified respiratory therapists. Hospitals that meet the QRCR requirements provide a level of respiratory care consistent with strict national standards and guidelines.

Saint Joseph Health System hospitals that received this recognition in 2010 are Saint Joseph - Berea (2004-2006, 2009-2010), Saint Joseph Hospital (2007-2010), Saint Joseph - London (2008-2010), Saint Joseph - Martin (2009-2010), and Flaget Memorial Hospital (2010). Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling did not apply this year; Saint Joseph - Jessamine does not have a respiratory care department.

Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physicians' orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS, and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.

A full list of hospitals having this designation is available at www.YourLungHealth.org.

Saint Joseph Health System is a 981-bed, eight-facility health care system that spans central and eastern Kentucky. Saint Joseph Health System is a member of Catholic Health Initiatives, the nation’s second-largest Catholic health care system. Visit www.SaintJosephHealthSystem.org for further information.

###