San Diego County is the first in the nation where every eligible hospital earned geriatric emergency department accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians, according to an Aug. 18 post on the University of California San Diego News Center website.
In 2018, UC San Diego Health led geriatric care efforts by establishing the senior emergency care unit within the Gary and Mary West Emergency Department at the hospital. The unit features 19 patient rooms and includes lighting, acoustic, safety and design elements catered to senior patients. All patients in the senior emergency department are treated by a team specially trained in geriatric medicine.
"UC San Diego Health is proud to have helped lead these efforts in our San Diego region and now be part of 18 hospitals accredited for geriatric emergency care, the only county in the nation to achieve this impressive goal," UC San Diego CEO Patty Maysent said in the post.
The American College of Emergency Physicians established the geriatric emergency department accreditation program in 2018.