The Joint Commission accreditation is nationally recognized as the symbol of quality reflecting an organization’s commitment to meeting specific performance standards for quality care. With over 100 Hospice Facilities in Arizona; surprisingly there are only 11 in the state that possess the highly coveted accreditation. Five of those 11 Hospice facilities are in the Metropolitan Valley and only three are in Phoenix. Sacred Heart is one of the three accredited facilities and on the leading edge of quality care, helping to set standards in the industry.

"We are very proud of this achievement," states Sacred Heart Hospice founder Irma Ruiz.

"The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval™ demonstrates we are providing safe and effective care at the highest quality and value," Ruiz continues. "Hospice helped our family during my father's last twenty-three months of life. My father suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease. The hospice nurse and nurse's aid taught my sister, who was the primary caregiver, how to take care of him as he was bedridden. Because of their teachings, my dad had no bed ulcers, no infections, and he passed gracefully like he had wished: at home, in his bed, and with family. He wanted to have Marimba played when he died and that is exactly what we did. It was beautiful."

Sacred Heart Hospice was founded in 2006 with the goal of being the preferred provider of hospice care and palliative care - providing physical, emotional and spiritual services to all patients and their family members within the Phoenix and surrounding areas. 

"Our vision is to be the leader in providing quality end-of-life care in the Valley. Our mission is to provide the most comfortable, loving and dignified care humanly possible at every given moment. Quality performance standards are no exception. Our team decided a long time ago that if we were going to become our vision, that we were going to have to be the best that we can be in each area that impacts our patients' quality of life. Obtaining this voluntary accreditation demonstrates a clear commitment to reaching our goal of providing the finest care in Valley" says Kiran Vedantam, Director of Sacred Heart.

Patients are in life-limiting conditions and receive care in their current home or a residential setting. "This setting provides comfort because the patient is more easily supported by friends and family, allowing our staff to coordinate with them. With a multi-lingual and interdisciplinary staff of 17, we are confident that we have our bases covered," says Dr. Talluri, Medical Director of Sacred Heart Hospice.

Sacred Heart Hospice providers visit patients as needed to provide health and palliative care, spiritual support and social services. Irma Ruiz, MBA, RN, BSN is Chief Administrative Officer and Dr. Murali Talluri, M.D. is Medical Director. For additional information see www.SacredHeartHospice.com