Sherman Health gets 2011 Silver Award from Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence

Sherman Health is proud to have been recognized by the Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence with a 2011 Silver Award for its dedication to improving performance excellence through best-practice methods and care delivery systems.

"We applied for a Lincoln Award earlier this year as a way to better understand how we function as an organization, and identify ways to improve our current systems," says Kelly Tarpey, Director of Clinical Excellence, Sherman Health. "This journey has helped us become stronger, which, in turn, will benefit our patients and the communities we serve."

As part of the application process, the Lincoln Foundation performed a five-day site visit at Sherman Health in October. State examiners interviewed and visited with Sherman Health board members, physicians, leaders, employees and volunteers at the hospital and immediate care locations to gain valuable insights on Sherman's journey to excellence.

"Congratulations to Sherman Hospital and all of its employees for its progress to an on-going journey to excellence," says Darcy Davidsmeyer, President and CEO of Illinois Performance Excellence. "Health care delivery systems face numerous challenges in achieving patient care and safety. Addressing organizational performance and process/resource alignment is the best way to get efficiencies, focus and sustainability within a hospital which translates to the best patient care."

"We are honored to receive this prestigious award, which is a testament to our dedication to performance excellence in every level of the organization," says Linda Deering, Executive Vice President and COO, Sherman Health. "We look forward to using the feedback we receive from the Lincoln Foundation to help us continuously strive towards excellence and fulfill our mission and vision."

The Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence awards are based on the Criteria for Performance Excellence of the Baldrige National Quality Program. The Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence is a not-for-profit organization backed by both private and public funding. The Lincoln Foundation seeks to help Illinois organizations continuously improve their performance by encouraging, developing and highlighting excellence among all five sectors of the economy: industry, service, healthcare, education and government. For more information, visit www.lincolnaward.org.