St. John’s Episcopal Hospital’s vice president of Behavioral Health was awarded with the United Hospital Fund’s Excellence in Health Care Award, the hospital announced on Tuesday.
Terri Coyle, who’s been the vice president of Behavioral Health with St. John’s since 2018, was given the award after establishing a free virtual support group in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The hospital has run similar support groups in the past — after 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy — that connect facilitators with patients and focuses on emotional support related to grief, loss, stress and anxiety.
The Behavior Health department has seen a dramatic drop in readmission rates for adult behavioral health patients under Coyle’s leadership, according to the hospital. Patient satisfaction has also been on the rise, SJEH said.
The award is one of several the hospital has received in recent years.
St. John’s Episcopal was ranked as “high performing” in heart failure by US News & World report, it received recognition for its stroke care and was awarded the Heart Failure Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award by the American Heart Association.
