Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Recognized for Commitment to Safe Opioid Care

GRASS VALLEY, Calif. (August 3, 2023) – Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital earned the highest possible honor roll recognition for its commitment to appropriate opioid use and safe treatment by Cal Hospital Compare. 

Of the 109 participating hospitals, four Dignity Health Sacramento Hospitals including, Mercy General Hospital, Methodist of Sacramento Hospital, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital and Woodland Memorial Hospital were among 42 hospitals acknowledged for achieving ‘Superior Performance.’ The ‘Superior Performance rating was given to the hospitals who implemented advanced, innovative opioid stewardship strategies across multiple service lines and consistently achieved the highest level of performance. 

"We prioritize patient well-being by implementing rigorous protocols, closely monitoring opioid usage and fostering open communication with patients. Together, we aim to balance pain relief and safeguarding against addiction while strongly supporting efforts to reduce harm and opioid deaths. I am so proud of our teams' work to take on this issue here in our county.” said Dr. Scott Neeley, President and CEO of Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. 

Every day, more than 301 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids. The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis. In California there were over 7,100 opioid overdose deaths in 2021, including over 3,900 deaths from fentanyl. 

The California Opioid Care Honor Roll Program was created to accelerate hospital progress in building systems to treat hospitalized patients with OUD and train health care professionals in opioid safety practices. The goal of the program is to increase access to addiction treatment for hospitalized patients and reduction of opioid-related deaths. 

About Dignity Health 

Dignity Health is a multi-state nonprofit network of 10,000 physicians, more than 60,000 employees, 41 acute care hospitals, and 400-plus care-centers, including community hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. Dignity Health is a part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit health system committed to advancing health for all people and dedicated to serving the common good. For more information, please visit our website at www.DignityHealth.org