St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley awarded for clinical excellence

APPLE VALLEY – St. Mary Medical Center recently earned five Healthgrades Specialty Excellence Awards for outstanding clinical performance, and received national recognition for one service.

The Apple Valley hospital was named among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Specialty Care recognition for pulmonary care and also was awarded for excellence in critical care, stroke care, general surgery and treating gastrointestinal issues.

Late last year, San Bernardino County designated St. Mary as the High Desert’s only certified stroke receiving center. With this designation, paramedics bypass other hospitals to rush stroke patients to St. Mary for optimal care. Because of this certification of outstanding stroke care, the hospital is seeing approximately three times as many stroke patients.

Randall Castillo, the hospital’s new chief executive, said he was drawn to St. Mary, calling it the High Desert’s premier hospital. 

“I had the privilege of joining St. Mary Medical Center in August and am overwhelmed by the commitment of our care teams to quality patient care,” Castillo said. “Our physicians, nurses, clinicians and the entire staff deserve recognition for their dedication to our patients, their families and our community.”

In its 2020 Report to the Nation, Healthgrades, a top consumer ratings company, ranked hospitals nationwide in 16 specialties. These awards recognize hospitals that consistently deliver outstanding clinical outcomes in key service areas. Patients treated in hospitals that received one or more of these clinical distinctions have a significantly lower risk of dying or experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in a hospital that did not.