University Health Center Awarded Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission
(Athens, GA, September 2022) – The University of Georgia University Health Center (UHC) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. The UHC is one of only a few college health centers across the country to earn this designation.
The UHC underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review in August 2022. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with standards spanning several areas including environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, medication management, and rights and responsibilities of the individual.
The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care providers and quality measurement experts. They are informed by scientific literature and professional consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews with staff and patients.
“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive at The Joint Commission. “We commend UGA’s University Health Center for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”
Dr. Beau Seagraves, Associate Vice-President for Student Well-being and Interim Executive Director for the UHC said, “This achievement is a testament to the UHC’s commitment to providing students with the highest quality of services. We know that our students’ success depends heavily on their well-being, and I’m proud of the work done every day by our staff and leadership to ensure that students receive the best in physical and mental healthcare.” For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.
