The Joint Commission this week awarded HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital its Disease-Specific Care Certifications. The hospital earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for healthcare quality for its Heart Failure, Brain Injury, and Stroke Rehabilitation Programs.

“We voluntarily pursued the Joint Commission to evaluate three of our rehabilitation programs because we wanted to ensure our quality of care,” said Richard Allatt M.D., medical director of HealthSouth Nittany Valley. “Achieving this certification shows patients and referring physicians that we are the best when it comes to providing rehabilitative services for heart failure, brain injury, and stroke patients.”

To earn these certifications, the three rehabilitation programs underwent an extensive, unannounced, on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers. The programs were evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of the programs’ processes, the programs’ ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization and interviews with patients and staff.

“Our focus is to serve the rehabilitation needs of the community,” said Susan Hartman, chief executive officer at HealthSouth Nittany Valley. “Each day, our staff works to provide a differentiated level of care and offer services that get patients back on their feet and functioning in their communities. We are thrilled to receive this endorsement from the Joint Commission.”

About the Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. For more information on The Joint Commission and its certification programs, visit www.jointcommission.org.

About HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital
HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital is an 85-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital that provides a higher level of rehabilitative care including medical support and intensive therapy to patients who are recovering from stroke and other neurological disorders, brain and spinal cord injury, amputations, and orthopedic, cardiac and pulmonary conditions. Accredited by The Joint Commission, the hospital is located in Pleasant Gap, Centre County, at 550 West College Avenue and on the Web at www.nittanyvalleyrehab.com.

About HealthSouth
HealthSouth is the nation’s largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative healthcare services. Operating in 26 states across the country and in Puerto Rico, HealthSouth serves patients through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation satellites, and home health agencies. HealthSouth strives to be the nation’s preeminent provider of inpatient rehabilitative healthcare services and can be found on the Web at www.healthsouth.com.

For the past four years, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital’s Lewistown Clinic has participated in Juniata Valley’s Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl For Kids Sake and, along with HealthSouth Nittany Valley has contributed more than $2000.

HealthSouth was the 2010 Corporate Tournament Winner. Pictured, from left, are teammates Dalonnie Sherlock, Lori Bubb, Holly Montarsi, Team Captain Amanda McNitt, and Anni Russo. Not pictured is Lewistown Outpatient Site Coordinator Dave Boone.