OLYMPIA- The Department of Social and Health Services’ (DSHS) Eastern State Hospital has started 2018 with being re-accredited by The Joint Commission and naming a new Chief Medical Officer for the hospital.
Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. Eastern shares this honor with over 4,000 hospitals around the country. The hospital’s ability to maintain accreditation demonstrates the ongoing commitment of hospital staff to patient care, quality and safety.
The ability for Eastern State Hospital to maintain back-to-back accreditations demonstrates the ongoing commitment to patient care quality and safety strengthening the confidence of the services offered.
“Achieving The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval says to our patients, employees and the community that they can expect a standard of excellence synonymous with high quality psychiatric care,” said Dorothy Sawyer, Chief Executive Officer for Eastern State Hospital.
In addition to its re-accreditation, Eastern State Hospital is proud to announce the new Chief Medical Officer, John Robert Henry, D.O. Dr. Henry accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer effective February 1, 2018. He brings over 17 years of experience as a psychiatrist. He has served in various roles throughout his career from Clinical Director for the Forensic Services Unit to recently as a locum psychiatrist caring for patients in the Habilitative Mental Health ward—patients diagnosed with developmental disability and mental health disorders—at Eastern State Hospital.
“I became a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine because I believe in a whole-person approach toward medicine. Eastern State Hospital supports this approach by providing each patient an individualized care plan that addresses all factors that may impact a patient’s journey toward recovery,” explained Dr. Henry. “As Chief Medical Officer of Eastern State Hospital, I look forward to expanding the hospital residency program, establishing psychiatric internships that are specialty focused, and educating the public about mental illness. My passion is working with our community partners to establish a transition of care program that includes patient-centered behavioral support plans to ‘train and teach’ individuals living with a mental illness, specific tools to ensure a successful transition.”
A native of North Carolina, Dr. Henry completed his undergraduate education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, his doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California and completed the University of Washington’s Psychiatry Residency training program, Spokane advanced clinician track—including a residency at Eastern State Hospital.
Eastern State Hospital is located about 20 miles west of Spokane in Medical Lake and is under Behavioral Health Administration within DSHS. The hospital provides evaluation and impatient treatment for individuals with serious or long-term mental illness.
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