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On Friday, Oct. 30, Blount Memorial Hospital employees gathered to celebrate their departments' honors during the Blue Ribbon Round-up. Departments displayed all of their awards and honors, and received recognition from fellow staff members for their accomplishments.

One of Blount Memorial's most recent awards was the 2009 HealthGrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award. Blount Memorial Hospital ranked No. 1 in Tennessee and in the top 5 percent in the nation for coronary intervention procedures. The hospital also received a coveted 5-star rating for cardiology services -- something only 15 percent of the nation's hospitals achieved in 2009.

The hospital's state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratory, which features all digital equipment, displayed a board with the trophy, for their part in the award. Blount Memorial was honored for their experienced interventional cardiologists, available around-the-clock to perform life-saving coronary intervention procedures, and their experienced, multidisciplinary cardiac care team.

Also assisting in their accomplishment is the LIFEPACK defibrillator/monitor, which provides electrocardiograms before arrival at the emergency department, and the STEMI (ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) team, which monitors heart attack processes and outcomes to ensure patients receive immediate care.

The Blount Memorial Hospital laboratory and outpatient laboratory exhibited the accreditation they were awarded by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), based on the results of a recent onsite inspection. The lab was given the national recognition and congratulated for the "excellence of the services being provided." The Blount Memorial Hospital laboratory is one of nearly 7,000 CAP-accredited laboratories nationwide.

The hospital's division of pathology and laboratory medicine also displayed certificates of recognition from Sentinel Laboratory; recognition from the Department of Health Lab Services; accreditation from the America Association of Blood Banks; and a certificate from the College of American Pathologists for their participation in the 2008 Q-Tracks Program.

The Blount Memorial Radiology Department displayed their renewed three-year accreditation in ultrasound imaging services that they were recently awarded by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Blount Memorial's ultrasound imaging services were surveyed by the Committee on Ultrasound Accreditation of the Commission on Quality and Safety. It was accredited for obstetric, gynecological, general and vascular ultrasound services including: Peripheral vascular, cerebrovascular, abdominal vascular and deep abdominal vascular. Blount Memorial ranked in the 99th percentile on the accreditation, which was issued on Oct. 7 and continues through May 27, 2012.

Awards and honors also displayed included:

— Cancer Center: Certificate of Approval for quality of care from the Commission on Cancer. The commission has approved the center since 1993, and areas of commendation are outcome analysis, prevention and early detection, cancer registry education and cancer-related improvement. The Cancer Center is also celebrating the 5th annual "Celebrate Spring," a mountain retreat for women with cancer.

— Pharmacy: Two-time recipient of the Tennessee's Innovative Health System Practice Award. The pharmacy has four board-certified pharmacists who serve on community, state and national pharmacy organizations. They also have received the Premier Risk Management and Medical Error Prevention Award in 2000 and the Blount Memorial Outstanding Safety Achievement Award in 1991.

— Home Services: The Daily Times Reader's Choice 1st place award yearly from 2003-2006. They also received the QSource Achievement award in 2005-2006 and an honor award from the Tennessee Hospital Association for 2009-2010.

— Diabetes Management: Certificate of Recognition from the American Diabetes Association recognizing the education services of the center as meeting national standards for diabetes self-management education for Nov. 2007 - Nov. 2010.

— Weight Management: "Bariatric Center of Excellence" from the surgical review corporation of the American Society of Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery. A patient said, "My experience with the staff at Blount Memorial Hospital on the day of my surgery was excellent. The nursing staff I encountered in pre-op, the operating room staff and the recovery room staff did an outstanding job! I would not consider having surgery anywhere else."

— Surgical Services: The da Vinci Surgical System robot is on its way. The robotic- and computer-assisted system is for minimally invasive surgery. The department also received a certification for professional achievement in perioperative nursing practice from 2008-2013 from the Competency & Credentialing Institute. Surgical technologists were 100 percent certified prior to state mandate. The Joint Commission called their implementation of alternate surgical site marking bands "a stellar process."

— Breast Health Center: Accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) for mammographic imaging services. They are a certified mammography facility of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

— Radiation Oncology: The staff has submitted four suggestions to make things better at the hospital, which were all implemented including: automatic doors to provide patients easier access through the department; a directory established for the cancer center offices to enable staff to provide accurate information to patients; a 1-800 phone number for out-of-town patients; a smoke-free zone outside of the radiology access door. The department also regularly has celebrations of holidays and events for their patients' enjoyment.

— Palliative Care: The department has been honored to receive multiple compliments from patients. One patient said, "Hospice made our lives better at a very difficult time." Another patient said, "I was impressed with the hospice team. They were very thorough, very gentle and kind."

— Infection Control: Blount Memorial Hospital is among five health care leaders in the state that was honored for its efforts and commitment to the reduction of errors and/or risk of errors in patient safety and quality care during the 2007 annual Tennesseans Improving Patient Safety (TIPS) symposium. The hospital was recognized for its work with reducing the incidence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infections in long-term care facility patients through active surveillance and contact precautions.