Accreditation received

Accreditation received

AUSTINTOWN

The Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities has received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in the following services: community employment services; employment supports; and job development. This accreditation will extend through April 30, 2019.

CARF is an independent, nonprofit organization focused on advancing the quality of services for individuals served and to provide accreditation standards and surveyors for organizations working in the human-services field worldwide.

The MCBDD is proud of the hard work and determination undertaken by its staff on behalf of the nearly 1,400 individuals served by our organization, said Superintendent Bill Whitacre.

SRMC earns Gold Seal

SALEM

Salem Regional Medical Center (SRMC) has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for its orthopaedic knee and hip replacements program, by demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission’s national standards for quality and safety in disease-specific care.

To achieve certification, SRMC underwent a rigorous on-site review June 10, which included evaluation of the processes and patient-care experiences for those having hip and knee replacements performed at the medical center. A Joint Commission expert determined that SRMC was in compliance with the standards of care specific to the needs of orthopaedic patients and their families, including program leadership, performance improvement, patient-care delivery, self-care management and clinical information systems.

Opioid addiction

YOUNGSTOWN

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has launched the Pharmacy Home Program to help high-risk members in individual and employer-sponsored plans reduce addiction to opioids and other prescription drugs and improve drug safety and health-care quality by choosing one home pharmacy to fill their prescriptions.

In Ohio, 2,744 people died from drug and opioid overdoses in 2014, an 18 percent increase from 2013, according to the National Vital Statistics System. Ohio’s overdose death rate per 100,000 people ranks fifth highest in the country.

The Pharmacy Home Program began with distribution of letters to identified at-risk members. Those who a have diagnosis or prescription history for HIV, sickle cell anemia, multiple sclerosis, cancer and hospice and palliative care are exempted from the program. The Pharmacy Home Program notifies doctors and other prescribers in writing of the decision to include their patient in the program.