Syracuse, NY (February 9, 2016) – St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center has received the 2016 Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Care . This evidence-based designation is the only heart care award that identifies the country’s best healthcare institutions based on robust criteria that considers female patient satisfaction, clinical excellence, and what women say they want from a hospital.

The list of 352 award winners, including St. Joseph’s Hospital, represents hospitals that not only performed well clinically with regard to heart care measures, but also had a high recommendation rate, a measure that is very important to women when choosing a hospital; signifying St. Joseph’s commitment to meeting the highest standards in heart care.

“As the top provider of cardiac care in the region, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center holds nearly a dozen different accreditations, certifications, and recognitions for cardiovascular care. But this award looks beyond our medical staff and treatments,” said Kathryn Ruscitto, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health. “This award speaks highly to our commitment to deliver a higher quality of care to the hundreds of thousands of patients we serve throughout Central New York, and the positive experiences that our patients are having at St. Joseph’s Hospital.”

The 2016 America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Care list is determined by first identifying hospitals across the nation that offer a minimum number of cardiac and/or vascular services. Only hospitals that perform well clinically with regard to heart care measures reported to Medicare, and also have a high Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) recommendation score, are selected. Data provided is totally objective and uniform. No subjective considerations are used to determine the award recipients.

“Considering heart disease is the number one killer of women across the country, helping her find the best in cardiac care is how we empower women and hospitals to live better lives,” says Delia Passi, CEO and Founder of the Women’s Choice Award.

For more information on the 2016 America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Care visit www.womenschoiceaward.com/awarded/best-hospitals/heart-care/.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH’S HEALTH

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and a part of Trinity Health.

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S CHOICE AWARD®

The Women’s Choice Award® is a trusted referral source, empowering women to make smart healthcare choices by identifying the country’s best healthcare institutions based on robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction and clinical excellence. The Women’s Choice Award was recently honored as #1088 on the INC 5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies in 2015, as well as selected from more than 500 nominees for Florida Companies to Watch in 2015, a statewide program managed by GrowFL which celebrates the Florida’s top second stage companies. Visit www.womenschoiceaward.com to learn more.

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The information contained in this release is not permitted to be used in a non-press related context without the express prior written consent of the Women’s Choice Award.