SAN DIEGO – AUGUST 7, 2024 – West Health and UC San Diego Health announced today that nearly three million older adults in California now have access to specialized care for medical emergencies, making the state the nation’s leader in accredited geriatric emergency departments (GEDs). Nearly half of the state’s seniors now have access to a GED compared to about 30% of seniors nationwide.
UC San Diego Health and West Health collaborated and collectively engaged more than 650 health professionals from more than 200 area hospitals over the course of the initiative, which began five years ago when California only had a handful of accredited GEDs spread across the state. Today, the number has grown to nearly 100, with an additional 30 sites expected to earn accreditation in the coming year. In 2022, San Diego became the first county in the U.S. where every eligible hospital earned GED accreditation.
This successful collaboration started with the opening of the Gary and Mary West Senior Emergency Care Unit (SECU) at UC San Diego Health in La Jolla, California. The SECU was the first “gold” accredited GED west of the Mississippi, establishing UC San Diego Health as national experts on the GED model. UC San Diego Health shared their expertise by providing county- and state-wide education and efforts that quickly helped expand the reach of GEDs throughout California and beyond. Activities included specialized geriatric training, review of best practices, quality improvement, guidance on achieving accreditation, and peer-to-peer learning.
“We are proud of our partnership with UC San Diego Health. We’re getting closer to ensuring that all seniors have access to geriatric emergency care no matter where they live and California is leading the way,” said Shelley Lyford, CEO and Chair, West Health and a commissioner on the California Commission on Aging. “The GED movement is in full swing and every day more and more states are jumping on board. It’s making a material difference in the lives of seniors and their families.”
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) recently announced more than 500 GEDs have been accredited globally, with 457 in the United States.
“UC San Diego Health recognized a truly unique opportunity with West Health that would significantly improve the patient experience in an area of care that continues to expand exponentially,” said Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health. “This milestone underscores the growing impact of our collaboration. We are grateful to partner with West Health to create a new transformative offering for geriatric patients to get them healthy, happy, and home sooner.”
“Sharing a vision with West Health has led to a significant mission to provide specialized care for older adults in the emergency room setting," said Vaishal Tolia, MD, MPH, FACEP, professor of Clinical Emergency and Internal Medicine at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and medical director of the Emergency Department at UC San Diego Health. “From admission to discharge, the goal is to always deliver high quality and compassionate care to help reduce hospital visits and readmissions. It is an honor that our efforts are changing how our older loved ones are being cared for.”
Seniors frequently present at the emergency department with a range of issues, including the acute medical emergency, struggles with frailty and mobility issues, cognitive decline and dementia, as well as other diseases and conditions that make them more vulnerable to medical emergencies.
In a GED, interdisciplinary teams engage in best practices involving triage, screening, evaluation, treatment, discharge, physical environment and, when necessary, coordination of essential social and health services. GEDs have the ability to reach outside a hospital’s four walls to integrate acute care with essential community supports, services, and programs, such as home care, meal delivery, long-term care facilities, and networks supporting older adults living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Seniors are more likely than any other age group to visit the emergency department, a trend that is only expected to grow with the aging of America. Currently, 16.5% of the U.S. population, or 54 million people, are 65 or older, according to the latest U.S. Census. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to 74 million, accounting for about 20% of the population. Encouraging hospitals to implement the GED model is an essential step in preparing for this shift in our population and an integral part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s California’s Master Plan for Aging.
"Working with the West Health Institute and the Governor’s task force for Master Plan for Aging has been a fantastic opportunity and meets our University of California mission to educate health care leaders to achieve GED accreditation," said James Killeen, MD, clinical professor of Emergency Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of Urgent Care Services at UC San Diego Health.
To learn more about GED accreditation, visit https://www.acep.org/geda.
About West Health
Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation and Gary and Mary West Health Institute in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. Learn more at westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.
About UC San Diego Health
UC San Diego Health, the region’s only academic health system, is dedicated to delivering outstanding patient care through commitment to community, groundbreaking research and inspired teaching. For 2024-25, U.S. News & World Report ranked UC San Diego Health as the best hospital system in San Diego and among the nation’s best in 11 adult medical and surgical specialties, including cancer, cardiology, geriatrics, neurology, orthopedics and pulmonology. It is the first health system in San Diego County to make the Honor Roll for outstanding patient care. The 1,101-bed health system includes three hospitals — Hillcrest Medical Center, Jacobs Medical Center and East Campus Medical Center — as well as Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, Moores Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Koman Family Outpatient Pavilion and Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute. The health system also includes primary care and same-day services at clinics throughout Southern California.
For more information, visit health.ucsd.edu.
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