Doha, June 02 (QNA) - Hamad Medical Corporation's Communicable Disease Center (CDC) has been awarded Certification with Distinction for Leadership and Innovation in Person-Centered Care by Planetree.

This Distinction recognizes the organization's work to continually advance the practice of person-centered care through outreach, research, scholarship, and innovation.

CDC is the second organization in the MENA region, and one of only six organizations worldwide, to be honored by Planetree with its "Distinction in Leadership and Innovation in Person-Centered Care Award". This achievement builds on the CDC being awarded Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care in 2021.

Achievement of Distinction status which the highest level of recognition conferred by Planetree, requires organizations to earn re-Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care at the Gold-level, while also building on their success to advance the model of person-centered care beyond the standards outlined in the person-centered care program.

Before a healthcare organization can achieve Planetree Distinction, it must meet a rigorous set of criteria that patients, family members, and healthcare professionals have indicated are elements that matter the most when it comes to their healthcare experience. Organizations must also showcase performance that advances the model of person-centered care, going above and beyond the criteria required to achieve Gold Certification.

The CDC is a 65-bed, single inpatient room specialist tertiary center with outpatient and community services, that supports and treats patients with a spectrum of communicable diseases. The center promotes awareness and education with the goal of preventing and combatting various infectious diseases at a national level.

Chief Medical Officer of HMC Dr. Khalid Mohammed Al Jalham, said that the Gold re-certification with Distinction status is testament to the tireless efforts that we are making to provide compassionate, personalized, and holistic care, where patients and families are empowered and actively engaged in their care journey, and where staff feel valued and supported by their leadership.

HMC's Chief of Patient Experience and Director of Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute Nasser Al Naimi, said: "CDC receiving Planetree Gold certification with Distinction for Leadership and Innovation in PCC for the first time demonstrates their commitment to providing an environment that empowers, respects, and cares for patients and their families, by putting them at the center of their healthcare journey".

Chief Executive Officer, Medical Director, and the PCC Executive Champion of CDC Dr. Muna Al Maslamani, said: "We are proud of this achievement and remain committed to delivering person-centered care with excellence. This award recognizes CDC's high level of commitment to improving the entire healthcare experience by engaging patients, families, and the communities that we serve."

President Michael Giuliano of Planetree International, a not-for-profit organization that has been at the forefront of the movement to transform healthcare from the perspective of patients for more than 45 years, said: "The Planetree Certification is the only award that recognizes excellence in person-centeredness across the continuum of care."

"By sharing their successes and challenges, CDC has exponentially increased the impact of its person-centered culture to benefit not only patients, families, and professional caregivers in its local community, but also those all over the country and even globally," Giuliano explained. (QNA)