Gordon Hospital achieves straight ‘A’s’ for patient safety

CALHOUN — The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit healthcare ratings organization, announced updated Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades and awarded Gordon Hospital an elite designation of “Straight As” for its ongoing achievements in patient safety. Gordon Hospital is one of only 59 hospitals in the United States to be awarded an “A” consistently since 2012.

“We applaud all hospitals that earn an A for safety, a significant achievement. Gordon Hospital takes that achievement one step further by earning an A year after year,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.

Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient-safety experts, peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

Calhoun Times

Hearne’s name added to Law Enforcement Memorial

CEDARTOWN — A chill was in the air during mid-morning as local officials and police officers gathered around a memorial honoring slain brothers and sisters in the line of duty for a somber task.

They were adding a name to the pillar that stands in the yard of Polk County Courthouse No. 1 facing the College Street entrance, standing in silence as the motor of a sandblasting machine hummed loudly, and Dana Goss of Elberton did the work of inscribing the name of Detective Kristen Hearne and her date of death into the monument.

The monument features others who have died in the line of duty including William T. McCown of the Cedartown Police Department, John H. Buckner of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Edward W. Jones of the Polk County Police, Billy A. Tanner of the Georgia State Patrol, Sheriff Frank Lott and Don F. Langston of the Georgia State Patrol. Erected in 2010, the new addition was the first since it was installed on the courthouse grounds, and the Wednesday morning ceremony provided a somber occasion to gather and remember all who have given their lives in local law enforcement.

A group of officers remained silent until the work was done, and before breaking up to get back to the work of the day, Polk Police Chief Kenny Dodd and representatives from all across the county came together for a word of prayer.

Kevin Myrick, The Polk County Standard Journal