Syracuse va medical center emergency department recognized as a level 2 geriatric emergency department by the american college of emergency physicians | va syracuse health care | veterans affairs

Syracuse , NY — The American College of Emergency Physicians’ (ACEP) Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program has announced that the Syracuse VA Medical Center’s Emergency

Department has achieved the Silver Standard- Level 2 GEDA accreditation. This accreditation program is designed to recognize those emergency departments that provide excellent care for

older adults. This accomplishment makes Syracuse one of only five VA facilities and one of only 42 hospitals nationwide to achieve Level two or Level one certification.  “This is yet another

affirmation of our commitment to ensuring that, from the moment a Veteran reaches our facility, they are truly being provided with the highest standards of the Geriatric Continuum of Care.

  By identifying these Veterans at an early stage, we can affect their lives and potentially reduce subsequent hospital admissions and help to ensure optimal transitions and improved and

sustained quality of life,” said Syracuse VA Medical Center Director Dr. Frank Pearson.   “Today’s growing geriatric population makes it imperative that we adapt to their needs.  If we can

immediately identify and put action plans in place for our older and high-risk population of Veterans, we are going to be more successful minimizing their risks for worsening outcomes.  We

are extremely proud of this designation,” he continued. The voluntary ACEP GEDA program, which includes three levels similar to trauma      Center designations, provides specific criteria

and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to target. The accreditation process provides more than two dozen best practices for geriatric care and the level of GEDA accreditation

achieved depends upon how many of these best practices an emergency department can meet. A Level 2 emergency department must incorporate many of these best practices, along with providing

inter-disciplinary geriatric care.