LAKEPORT, Calif. – The National Rural Health Resource Center selected Sutter Lakeside Hospital for Honorable Mention in demonstrating excellence and innovation with regard to community engagement.

Forty five states were invited to nominate one Critical Access Hospital for their state. Of these nominations, just five Critical Access Hospitals across the country received recognition certificates and nine were chosen for honorable mention.

The federal Critical Access Hospital program is designed to provide additional financial support for small rural hospitals.

This option is offered to geographically-remote hospitals with 25 beds or less to ensure that critical health care services are available locally.

Sutter Lakeside converted to a Critical Access Hospital in 2008.

Angelica M. Perez, health program specialist II with the California State Office of Rural Health, nominated Sutter Lakeside for the award.

Perez’s nomination specifically cited ways that Sutter Lakeside benefits the Lake County community, including the Sutter Lakeside Mobile Health Services Unit (MHSU), a “medical-office-on-wheels” that travels to patients each weekday within Lake County, and the hospital’s participation in the Institute for Hospital Innovation (IHI).

The goal of the IHI is to improve the patient experience. Sutter Lakeside’s IHI Collaborative Home Team has engaged community members, hospital administrators, nurses and social workers with the task of improving the patient experience at Sutter Lakeside.

“We are honored to be recognized by the National Health Resource Center. This is one more reason to be proud of our excellent hospital,” states Siri Nelson, chief administrative officer for the hospital. “All Critical Access Hospitals across the country work really hard to provide needed services to isolated areas. Our small size encourages us to innovate and connect with our community in new ways. We’re grateful to receive an Honorable Mention by the National Rural Health Resource Center. This is a big honor.”

To learn more about Sutter Lakeside, please visit www.sutterlakeside.org/ .