Silver Cross Proud to be Named Best Hospital for 4th Year Running

For the fourth year in a row, Silver Cross Hospital is proud to be recognized as the Best Hospital, Best Emergency Room, and Best Place to Have a Baby in 22nd Century Media’s annual Southwest Choice Awards. Over 180,000 readers of The Frankfort Station, The Homer Horizon, The Lockport Legend, The Mokena Messenger, The New Lenox Patriot, The Orland Park Prairie and The Tinley Junction were asked to select their favorite local businesses in more than 100 categories.

“It’s truly an honor to have been chosen for these prestigious awards for the fourth year in a row,” said Peggy Gricus, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Silver Cross Hospital. “You can count on Silver Cross to provide you and your family safe, high-quality care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

In fact, keeping patients safe is the hospital’s No. 1 priority, which is why Silver Cross has earned eight straight A’s for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, which uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital data so consumers can see how well their hospital protects patients from errors, accidents, injuries and infections. More than 2,600 U.S. hospitals are graded twice per year, and with eight straight A’s, Silver Cross is one the safest hospitals in the nation.

Coming later this spring, Silver Cross will begin offering the full spectrum of heart care services when it introduces its highly anticipated open-heart surgery program on its New Lenox campus. The hospital will add two state-of-the-art operating rooms, a “hybrid room” equipped with advanced medical imaging devices to support minimally invasive surgery, and two recovery rooms. It will be housed in the hospital’s soon-to-be-expanded Procedural Care Unit (PCU) on the second floor. In addition, a 14-bed cardiac care unit will open on the first floor directly below the PCU to care for patients after heart surgery, and will be serviced with a dedicated elevator between the two units. With the new open heart surgery program, heart patients will no longer have to experience the stress and anxiety of having to leave their preferred hospital and travel to another hospital for advanced heart care.

Emergency Care

“For many people, care starts in the Emergency Department – either at the hospital or our Silver Cross Emergency Care Center at 143rd St. and Bell Rd. in Homer Glen,” Gricus explained.  “Both facilities are open around the clock and are staffed by the same group of board-certified emergency medicine physicians trained to treat patients of all ages.”

The Silver Cross Emergency Department is designated as a Level II Trauma Center, Primary Stroke Center, and recognized by the Illinois Department of Public Health to care for pediatric patients. Silver Cross also has an Urgent Care center on Joliet’s west side to provide after-hours medical care for sudden illnesses and injuries that don’t warrant a trip to the Emergency Department. For added convenience, patients can reserve an appointment online through SCHedule Now at https://clicktime.symantec.com/3K5w8HRKud1wi76F5opwthU7Vc?u=www.silvercross.org. Using SCHedule Now, patients can also book appointments for mammograms, X-rays, blood draws and other tests and therapies at the hospital and several satellite locations. 

And for patients with minor illnesses who need access to quality medical care when it’s not possible or practical to see a doctor in person, Silver Cross has partnered with Teladoc. Patients can talk with a doctor via phone or video any time of the day or evening for just $49 per consultation. To access Teladoc, visit www.silvercross.org

Best Place to Have a Baby

Choosing where to have a baby is a major decision. When expectant families choose Silver Cross, they can be confident they’re receiving care that meets the highest standards for quality, safety and outcomes.

Silver Cross combines cutting-edge medical technology with spa-like amenities, including 12 luxurious birthing suites and 30 private mother-baby suites to make the birthing experience unforgettable. Each suite is fully-equipped with a bathroom with a shower and immersion tub to help with labor pains, blanket warmer, refrigerator, wireless internet access, flat screen TV system, and a comfortable sofa-sleeper so family members can stay around the clock. 

For deliveries requiring surgery, there are three complete Cesarean suites. And since Silver Cross is a Level II Nursery with extended capabilities, fewer babies need to be transferred to specialized neonatal care centers. 

Parents can also feel confident knowing that Silver Cross has pediatricians and neonatologists from Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago as well as obstetrician/gynecologists and anesthesiologists available at all times.  And if needed, Lurie Children’s pediatric cardiologists can analyze a baby’s echocardiogram in real time through a video linkage with Silver Cross. 

For more information or a referral to an obstetrician/gynecologist on staff at Silver Cross, visit www.silvercross.org