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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kari Bell
Marketing & Communications Director
904-260-1818
RIVER GARDEN HEBREW HOME AWARDED NURSING CARE CENTER ACCREDITATION
AND POST-ACUTE CARE CERTIFICATION FROM THE JOINT COMMISSION
(Jacksonville, FL – 10/09/18) – River Garden Hebrew Home today announced it has earned The
Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval
®
for Nursing Care Center Accreditation and Post-
Acute Care Certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance
standards. The Gold Seal of Approval
®
is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s
commitment to providing safe and effective patient and resident care.
River Garden underwent a rigorous on-site survey August 28-30, 2018. During the
review, Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated compliance with nursing care center
standards related to several areas, including assistance with activities of daily living,
coordination of care, and staff education and training. Surveyors also conducted on-site
observations and interviews with leaders and staff of the organization.
“Joint Commission accreditation and certification provides nursing homes with a
framework for the processes needed to improve the care patients and residents receive,” said
Gina Zimmermann, MS, executive director, Nursing Care Center Accreditation Program, The
Joint Commission. “We commend River Garden for its efforts to become a quality improvement
organization.”
“River Garden is delighted to receive accreditation and certification from The Joint
Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation.
Along with our other awards, Joint Commission accreditation serves as validation of the
excellence of our programs, and it is a testament to the ongoing support of the Jacksonville
Jewish community,” added Martin A. Goetz, Chief Executive Officer.
Mauri Mizrahi, Associate Administrator at River Garden, championed the certification
project over the last year. She added, “Staff from across our care community continues to work
together to develop and implement approaches and strategies that improve care for our patients
and residents.” As an eight-time recipient of the Governor’s Gold Seal Award for Excellence in
Long-Term Care, River Garden is well known for top-rated senior care.
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Established in 1966, The Joint Commission’s Nursing Care Center Accreditation
Program accredits more than 1,000 organizations that offer nursing home and other long term
care services.
The Post-Acute Care Certification award was launched in 2013 by The Joint
Commission to recognize nursing homes that demonstrate advanced competencies in the
provision of post-acute care to patients and residents recently hospitalized.
The accreditation and certification programs are awarded for a three-year period.
###
The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other
stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest
quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the
United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting
and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
River Garden Senior Services
River Garden Senior Services is a not-for-profit, mission-driven community agency offering an array of elder care programs and
services on a 40-acre campus in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville. Sponsored by the organized Jewish community, River Garden
serves clients from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds while maintaining an environment supportive of Jewish identity and
informed by Jewish values.
In addition to Joint Commission accreditation, River Garden is an eight-time recipient of the prestigious Governor’s Gold Seal Award
for Excellence in Long Term Care, and River Garden has been named as the top nursing home in the state of Florida by U.S. News
& World Report in 2018. The agency also was a recipient of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Nursing Homes” designation in
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016-17, and is a 5-star rated community by AHCA (Agency for Health Care Administration) and CMS (Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services).
The River Garden campus includes: River Garden Hebrew Home, a 180-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility; The Coves at
River Garden, an 80-unit independent living community; River Garden Home Health Care, a Florida licensed and Medicare certified
home health agency; River Garden Rehab, providing short-stay rehabilitation and outpatient physical, occupational and speech
therapies; River Garden Adult Day Care; The Albert Z. Fleet Geriatric Training Center, providing continuing education, training and
professional advancement for staff; and River Garden Foundation, providing financial support to the River Garden system of senior
services.
