From The Elgin Courier News April 10

Saint Joseph Hospital, a member of Prime Healthcare, has been recognized as a 4-Star Top Performer for Overall Emergency Department Care by a national healthcare research firm.

Professional Research Consultants (PRC) has given the Elgin hospital its Award of Distinction for Excellent Performance and ranking among the Top 25% nationally in the Emergency Department category in the 2026 Excellence in Healthcare Awards, according to a news release.

The Excellence in Healthcare Awards recognize organizations and individuals who demonstrate outstanding performance in improving patient experience, employee engagement, and physician alignment, based on comprehensive survey feedback from patients, employees, and physicians, the release said.

“It is an honor to recognize Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin with this Excellence in Healthcare Award for their deserving work,” said Joe M. Inguanzo, Ph.D., President and CEO of Professional Research Consultants (PRC). “It takes true dedication and determination to achieve this level of excellence in Overall Care in Emergency Medicine, and Saint Joseph has shown its commitment to making their hospital a better place to work, a better place to practice medicine, and a better place for their patients to be treated.”

“Since 1902, our doors have never closed, and our emergency department will always be here for the people of Elgin and the surrounding communities,” Saint Joseph Hospital’s CEO, Eva Balderrama, said in the release. “Our newest service in the emergency department is FastTrackCare, an automated online scheduling system that allows patients to reserve an arrival time for non-life-threatening conditions. This scheduling tool has improved both access and the overall patient experience.”

The recognition is in addition to national recognition from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), which granted Saint Joseph Hospital’s emergency department Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) last month, the release said. It affirms the hospital’s commitment to providing specialized, compassionate care for older adults in the community.

Saint Joseph Hospital is the only hospital in the region to receive this designation, reflecting its leadership in advancing care for older adults, according to the release.

Maria Suvacarov, Chief Nursing Officer of Saint Joseph Hospital, said the hospital used community assessments and data analysis to identify opportunities to support the community’s needs.

“As the community continues to age, expanding services for older adults remains a key priority. GEDA accreditation is part of our broader commitment to advancing care for older adults, alongside our newly licensed Older Adult Inpatient Behavioral Health unit,” Suvacarov said.