Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Hyperbaric Oxygen Unit Earns Reaccreditation

Hospital Is Only One in DC Metro Region Awarded This Distinction

Alexandria, VA – (November 18, 2010) — Inova Mount Vernon Hospital’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Unit was granted a four-year reaccreditation with special distinction by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society (UHMS), a recognition earned by less than twenty percent of accredited medical facilities in the country.

Approval is given only to facilities that have voluntarily committed to following the guidelines of the UHMS, performing approved procedures and providing the highest level of safety in hyperbaric medicine. In addition to an on-site review by physicians board-certified in hyperbaric medicine, the facilities must undergo a rigorous evaluation and review process of their performance.

“Our commitment to the community is to provide quality care for our patients,” said Alfred Kirkwood, DO, Medical Director, Hyperbaric Medicine, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. “This designation by UHMS lets our patients know that they are receiving first-class care from a safe facility that has achieved a superior level of expertise in hyperbaric medicine.”

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to treat patients needing increased oxygen such as those with carbon monoxide poisoning, scuba divers suffering from diver’s disease or the bends, and in treating some non-healing wounds.

The Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Hyperbaric Unit is the only UHMS approved facility in the D.C. metro region. For additional information about the Hyperbaric Unit, visit www.inova.org/imvh.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.