MARTINS FERRY — East Ohio Regional Hospital earned the “Gold Seal of Approval” by The Joint Commission, a private accreditor.

According to information provided by spokesman Mike Garrison, the hospital earned the commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Comprehensive Accreditation “by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.”

He noted EORH had to undergo a “rigorous review” in order to get the seal.

The hospital opened for business Feb. 4 after being closed since 2019. The hospital’s previous owner, Alecto Healthcare Corp. shuttered the hospital and its sister facility, Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, citing financial issues.

Dr. John Johnson, a Dayton-based psychiatrist, purchased EORH last spring. The city of Wheeling purchased the OVMC buildings.

Mark Pelletier, chief operating officer of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing executive at The Joint Commission, said one of his organization’s goals is to protect the public.

“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” Pelletier said. “We commend East Ohio Regional Hospital for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

Bernie Albertini, chief operating officer at EORH, attributed the hospital’s success to its employees.

“Accreditation by the Joint Commission is truly the Gold Standard in hospital operations and we are honored to have received this recognition a little over a month after our reopening. I can’t say enough about our team at EORH and its commitment to quality care for the community and region,” Albertini said.

“The Gold Seal is awarded for compliance with the (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) standards which are based on the (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) regulations. We take these standards seriously at EORH and we have been planning and preparing for the recent survey for some time.”

According to information provided by Garrison, The Joint Commission develops its standards with input from “health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients.”

Surveyors also come to the hospital to observe the workings of the facility and conduct interviews.