Northwest Texas Healthcare System Receives Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation

Monday, August 14, 2023
Two elderly women laughing

Northwest Texas Healthcare System (NWTHS) Emergency Department on Georgia has been recognized by The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), with support from The Gary and Mary West Health Institute and John A. Hartford Foundation, as Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA). The program recognizes emergency departments that provide excellent care for older adults.

In 2014, ACEP, along with Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, Emergency Nurses Association and American Geriatrics Society, developed and released geriatric ED guidelines, recommending measures ranging from adding geriatric-friendly equipment to specialized staff to more routine screening for delirium, dementia and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities. The voluntary GEDA program, which includes three levels like trauma center designations, provides specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to target.

Northwest Emergency on Georgia’s accreditation credits the team of medical professionals dedicated to providing the highest standards of care for our communities’ older adults.