UKIAH, Calif. – On Thursday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ukiah Valley Medical Center will host a community open house focused on quality, called, “Quality to the Next Level.”

According to Vice President of Patient Care Heather Van Housen, this event is about transparency.

“This is an opportunity for community members to join us to learn and ask questions about quality at the medical center,” Van Housen said. “For example, they will see how UVMC compares to the nation’s elite hospitals and learn about what each of our departments is doing to improve quality and the patient experience.

“Quality doesn’t happen by accident,” continued Van Housen. “It’s really a concerted effort by every employee of the medical center. Dietary and maintenance are just as involved in providing a quality experience to patients, as are the nurses and doctors in the emergency room and intensive care unit. It’s all of us working together to create an excellent experience.”

So what constitutes hospital quality? Quality Manager at UVMC, Danielle Jones, says that quality is measured in several different ways, “We’re measured on infection prevention, readmission rates, how well we prevent patient falls, prevention of pressure ulcers, reducing sepsis, and stroke response times – as an example. Our goal is to demystify the medical center experience and educate the community on how quality is the foundation to having an excellent patient experience at the medical center.”

At the Quality to the Next Level event you will be able to talk with front line staff from every department, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of what each department does to impact the quality of your experience at the medical center.

For more information please call 707-463-7361.