Best of the Best: Commitment to high quality care earns Northwest Community Healthcare honor

Providing the best access to high quality care is at the core of every initiative, project and service delivered by Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH).

Rooted in its mission to improve the health of the communities it serves and to meet individual health care needs, it's no surprise that NCH won the Daily Herald Readers' Choice Best of the Best - Best Hospital Award in 2020. NCH clearly holds the communities it serves close to its heart. Through the outpouring of community support for front-line workers and hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's evident that the feeling goes both ways.

"We were incredibly touched by the support NCH received during COVID-19," said Stephen Scogna, CEO and president of Northwest Community Healthcare. "We could not be more proud to serve this community. The mutual love and respect between NCH and those we serve makes this a very special recognition for us."

Scogna is particularly proud of how NCH handled operations at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Northwest suburbs and how they continue to do so today. NCH is fully operational and is currently seeing up to 96 percent of its typical patient population. Scogna said the hospital is very diligent and all the efforts they put forth to keep employees and patients safe have been very successful.

While it's understandable that people may worry about venturing out due to COVID-19, Scogna wants the community to know that it's perfectly safe, and often necessary, to schedule appointments at the hospital for routine screenings, diagnostic evaluations and procedures to catch any disease as soon as possible.

"It's important to get the diagnostic testing that's needed early so that it doesn't create greater health risks for patients down the road," said Scogna.

In addition to being fully operational at the hospital in Arlington Heights, NCH is still operating all of its satellite locations with more set to open in the coming years. In January, the 63,000-square-foot NCH Kildeer Outpatient Care Center opened to provide urgent care, physical therapy, intensive cardiac rehabilitation, diagnostic imaging including mammography, among many other offerings. Plenty of primary and specialty care physician office space allows patients to see a variety of providers.

In July, NCH announced plans to merge with NorthShore University Health System. The transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of 2020, pending regulatory review and approval. Scogna is excited about the merger and the increased opportunities it provides to continue offering community-focused care.

"All the services we provide locally today will continue being provided in this manner," said Scogna. "We are here to take care of this community and we will continue to provide access to this care in the future."

Through the acute-care hospital and dozens of outpatient centers, NCH has more than 350,000 outpatient visits and treats more than 20,000 inpatients annually. The hospital houses a Level III NICU, Level II Trauma Center, and a dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department. Since its inception in 1959, NCH's award-winning care has been recognized on a national level. NCH has received Magnet® designation for nursing excellence since 2006, received The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval® and Comprehensive Stroke Center designation, and received America's 250 Best Hospitals™ Award four years in a row (2017-2020) from Healthgrades®.

To learn more about services at NCH, visit nch.org.