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Adventist Health Bakersfield & Adventist Health Delano nationally recognized with ‘A’ Leapfrog Safety Grades; ninth time in a row for AHBD & second time in a row for AHDL

News, Awards & Recognition

Adventist Health Bakersfield and Adventist Health Delano both received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for fall 2021. Adventist Health Bakersfield is the only Kern County hospital to earn this “A” safety rating – a national distinction – nine consecutive times, which recognizes Adventist Health’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and error in hospitals.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“Now, more than ever in history, our community is seeing the value and importance of safety and quality in healthcare,” said Daniel Wolcott, president of Adventist Health Kern County Care Delivery. “The fact that Adventist Health Bakersfield has earned an ‘A’ grade for an incredible ninth time in a row speaks to our commitment and dedication to providing our patients with the best care possible.

“And we are extremely proud to say that the same is true for our Adventist Health Delano team, who have earned their second Leapfrog ‘A’ rating in a row. We are also humbled by the work of our caregivers, physicians and support services that it takes to achieve these levels on such a consistent basis.”

David Butler, the president of Adventist Health Delano, agreed, adding that the county-wide structure for Adventist Health contributes to this level of safe, quality care.

“We are proud to be a part of a large system of hospitals within Adventist Health that continues to focus on patient safety and achieve the best scores possible for the community we love,” says Butler. “The community of Delano and the patients we serve are safer because of our teamwork.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
 

“An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a tremendous achievement, of which this community should be extremely proud,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I thank the leadership and workforce of Adventist Health for its commitment to prioritizing patients and their safety, especially during these trying times.”

To see Adventist Health’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

About Adventist Health

Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 80 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii as well as others across the U.S. through its Blue Zones company, a pioneer in taking a systemic and environmental approach to improving the health of entire cities and communities. Through this work, Adventist Health is leading a 21st century well-being transformation movement. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides care in hospitals, clinics, its innovative Adventist Health Hospital@Home program that provides virtual in-patient care at home, home care agencies, hospice agencies and joint-venture retirement centers in both rural and urban communities. Our compassionate and talented team of 37,000 includes associates, medical staff physicians, allied health professionals and volunteers driven in pursuit of one mission: living God's love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. Together, we are transforming the American healthcare experience with an innovative, yet timeless, whole-person focus on physical, mental, spiritual and social healing to support community well-being.