Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital in Grand Junction is now among five hospitals in the United States – and the only community hospital – to be verified by the American College of Surgeons and the Society for Vascular Surgery at their highest level of care (comprehensive inpatient) in their Vascular Verification Program.

The 346-bed hospital was recognized for its vascular surgical quality, nursing care, patient and staff safety, timely patient access, education and state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.

Vascular surgeons operate on arteries, veins and blood vessels in parts of the body such as the neck, arms, abdomen and legs. They treat conditions ranging from repairing damage due to physical trauma, to repairing blood vessels affected by smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes, to repairing varicose veins, or aneurysms.

The Vascular Verification project required input from more than 30 members of the hospital care team including vascular surgeons, nurses, clinical leadership, and support staff. Spearheading the project was Dr. Tej Singh, medical director of vascular surgery at Intermountain St. Mary’s Regional Hospital and a current participant in Harvard Medical School’s Surgical Leadership Program.

“This is truly a great honor for St. Mary’s. It places us on the national vascular surgery map and reflects our commitment to providing the best care for our patients in our 250-mile service area in Western Colorado,” Dr. Singh said.