Centra Southside Community Hospital (CSCH) in Farmville has received top honors for patient safety.

The Farmville hospital is among 35 in Virginia recognized recently by a nationally-renowned health care quality organization, according to a press release from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA).

Centra earned an “A” rating in the spring Hospital Safety Grade scores from the Leapfrog Group, a national health care patient safety ranking organization, according to the release.

“Every year we set targets around quality, service and safety, to be better than the year prior,” said Centra Southside Community Hospital CEO Tom Angelo. “Our goal is to be the safest hospital system in the state through continuous improvement using lean methodology with quality, safety and service. Our improvement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our employees, medical staff and board of directors. More importantly, our community has a hospital they can depend on to provide them excellent care for life.”

“These new rankings are a testament to the concerted efforts occurring at Virginia hospitals to improve health care quality and safety for patients,” said VHHA President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton. “Through a variety of initiatives, including the Virginia Patient Safety Organization, the annual Virginia Patient Safety Summit and so many other health care safety programs, Virginia’s hospitals and health systems continue to demonstrate their commitment to enhancing health care quality through treatment that produces positive patient outcomes.”

According to the VHHA press release, the Leapfrog recognition of hospitals and health systems across Virginia reflects health care providers’ commitment to excellence in patient safety. “VHHA, through the Center for Healthcare Excellence, is focused on a range of quality and safety improvement initiatives designed to reduce and avoid harm incidents as part of the broader goal of making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation by 2020,” officials said in the release.

CSCH employs more than 550 people.

According to the press release, the Leapfrog program has been assigning letter grades to general acute care hospitals in the U.S. since 2012. “Across the country, hospitals have made remarkable strides in improving patient safety. Overall, 35 of 70 Virginia hospitals evaluated by Leapfrog earned ‘A’ grades in the 2017 rankings, placing the commonwealth ninth among states in the nation.”