Award demonstrates that Harlingen Medical Center provides “excellent care for older adults”
HARLINGEN, June 2025 – Harlingen Medical Center has become the first hospital in Cameron County to be accredited as a Geriatric Emergency Department — an honor which demonstrates that the hospital provides “excellent care for older adults”, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians.
The accreditation recognizes that the hospital is committed to the highest standards of care for senior adults in the Valley.
“The American College of Emergency Physicians, with support from The Gary and Mary West Health Institute and John A. Hartford Foundation, implemented the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program to recognize those emergency departments that provide excellent care for older adults,” stated Sandy Schneider, MD, FACEP and Kevin Biese, MD, MAT, FACEP of The American College of Emergency Physicians. “As such, we are excited to announce that Harlingen Medical Center’s Emergency Department has achieved the bronze standard — Level 3 GEDA accreditation.”
Dr. Schneider and Dr. Biese noted that Harlingen Medical Center’s emergency department is “led by a remarkable team of interdisciplinary leaders.”
“Harlingen Medical Center’s accreditation signals to the public that your institution is focused on the highest standards of care for your communities’ older adults,” they added.
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) — along with the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, the Emergency Nurses Association, and the American Geriatrics Society — developed and released geriatric guidelines for hospital emergency departments in 2014. The guidelines recommend measures such as adding geriatric-friendly equipment and specialized emergency room staff trained in geriatric care; enhanced safety protocols; senior-focused care designed to improve health outcomes for older patients; and more routine screening for dementia, delirium, and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities.
In order to receive accreditation, an emergency department must incorporate a number of best practices for geriatric care, along with inter-disciplinary geriatric education, and have geriatric-appropriate equipment and supplies available. Some of the best practices include:
- Providing standardized approaches to care that address common geriatric issues
- Promoting geriatric-focused quality improvement and enhancements of the physical environment and supplies
- Making pharmacists accessible at the patient’s bedside, to answer questions regarding medications for senior adults.
- Ensuring optimal transitions of care from the Emergency Department to other settings (inpatient hospitalization, home, community-based care, rehabilitation, long-term care)
“At Harlingen Medical Center Regional, we are dedicated to ensuring that our senior community receives the highest standard of emergency care,” said Todd Mann, CEO of Harlingen Medical Center.
Edward Stiner Jr., Chief Nursing Officer for Harlingen Medical Center, noted that, as part of Prime Healthcare, Harlingen Medical Center “is focused on ensuring seniors have the best experience possible when coming to our hospitals — including shorter wait times when visiting our emergency department.”
“We are committed to being leaders in the healthcare community with our senior-focused service line, which provides tailored, well-coordinated care for older adults throughout their entire hospital experience,” Mr. Stiner added.
In addition to the geriatric accreditation, Harlingen Medical Center is the only hospital in Cameron County to receive an “A” grade for patient safety for eight times in a row from the Leapfrog Group, a non-profit organization that rates hospitals on patient safety.
For more information on award-winning medical services in the Rio Grande Valley, please consult your physician and visit www.HarlingenMedicalCenter.com.
ABOUT Harlingen Medical Center
Harlingen Medical Center is a nationally recognized and award-winning general acute care hospital. The Level IV Trauma Designated hospital specializes in bariatrics, cardiovascular, orthopedics, emergency medicine, gastroenterology, imaging, obstetrics and gynecology, and wound healing care. Our concept of “Patient Focused Care” puts you, the patient, first! The design, management, staffing, and operation of our hospital are focused on your needs and overall comfort. For more information, please call (956) 365-1000 or visit www.HarlingenMedicalCenter.com.