(Madera, California) – The California Council for Excellence (CCE) announced the 2022 California Awards for Performance Excellence (CAPE) and named Valley Children’s as a Eureka silver level recipient. Valley Children’s is one of six honorees in California to be recognized for outstanding commitment to sustainable excellence through innovation, continuous improvement and visionary leadership.
“In 2021, Valley Children’s made the decision to pursue the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award that recognizes U.S. businesses, healthcare, education and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence and is the highest formal recognition of performance excellence in the country. Performance excellence, exceptional patient safety and quality and continuous quality improvement are hallmarks of Valley Children’s, and we knew that the Baldrige process would only further strengthen our organization. It is an honor to be a CAPE recipient as this is a first step in our quest,” says Todd Suntrapak, Valley Children’s President and CEO.
The California Council for Excellence (CCE) manages the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award process that begins first with the achievement of CAPE that recognizes role-model organizations and identifies and shares best practices, principles and strategies with assessments that are modeled after Baldrige.
“This recognition is a tremendous tribute to all who are part of Valley Children’s Healthcare -- and particularly to our teams who work tirelessly to continuously improve the care we deliver to our patients and families,” adds Suntrapak.
There are three levels of CAPE award recognition -- Explorer, Prospector and Eureka with bronze, silver and gold levels of recognition within each category. As a silver level recipient, Valley Children’s is the only children’s hospital in the state to be recognized this year.
“Healthcare networks across the country are guided by best practices that are constantly evolving in order to ensure the best care for kids, so it is an honor to be recognized as a leader of excellence in a realm that is continually advancing,” says Valley Children’s Vice President of Quality, Patient Safety and Clinical Value Raed Khoury. “While our road to Baldrige continues, this achievement is a testament to our staff who successfully works collaboratively across all disciplines to ensure the most innovative and effective systems that patients and families can count on are in place.
This designation is one of many distinguished recognitions Valley Children’s has received that reinforces the pediatric healthcare network’s commitment to excellence. Valley Children’s was the first children’s hospital west of the Rockies to receive Magnet Nursing designation, the highest nursing benchmark in the world. Earlier this year, U.S. News and World Report again named Valley Children’s one of the Best Children’s Hospitals in the country in six pediatric specialties. Valley Children’s also recently joined an elite group of only 16 centers worldwide as a Designated Platinum Center of Excellence by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) for providing lifesaving treatment for failing heart and/or lung function, and was also one of 12 to receive the Top Children’s Hospital designation by The Leapfrog Group.
To learn more, visit www.calexcellence.org.