MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — Baxter Health is proud to announce that its Cline Emergency Center has
officially achieved Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) from the American
College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). It is the highest level of recognition the program awards, and
it makes Baxter Health the first and only Level 1-accredited emergency department in the state of
Arkansas. Only three other hospitals statewide hold GEDA accreditation at any level, and none have
reached Level 1.
For a community hospital serving a large, rural region, this is more than a credential. It is proof that
advanced, specialized care is available close to home and that Baxter Health’s Emergency Department
has built its practices, equipment, and people around the specific needs of older adults.
The GEDA program was developed to recognize emergency departments that go above and beyond
in caring for older patients, a population that often faces unique risks such as delirium, dementia, falls,
and medication complications during an emergency visit. The framework traces back to 2014, when
ACEP joined the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, the Emergency Nurses Association, and
the American Geriatrics Society to publish national geriatric emergency department guidelines. Those
guidelines called for changes ranging from geriatric-friendly equipment to specialized staff training to
routine screening for the vulnerabilities older adults face most.
GEDA accreditation works much like trauma center designation, with three levels tied to how many
best practices an emergency department has implemented. Level 1, the gold standard, requires
meeting the large majority of more than two dozen recommended best practices, delivering ongoing
interdisciplinary geriatric education for staff, and maintaining geriatric-appropriate equipment and
supplies on hand at all times.
This achievement reflects years of dedicated work by an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses,
and staff.
“I am so proud of this team,” Kelly Dicks, MSN, RN, Director of Cline Emergency Center, said. “This
accreditation belongs to every physician, nurse, and staff member who put in the work to get us here.
Their dedication to our older patients, day in and day out, is what made this possible, and I want them
to know how deeply grateful I am for everything they do.”
The team’s work embodies what Baxter Health calls the Baxter Difference: treating every patient like
family, knowing them by name, and providing service beyond measure. For older adults and their
families across North Central Arkansas and South Central Missouri, that commitment now comes with a
national gold standard.
“We strive to provide quality care for every patient who walks through our doors,” Ron Peterson,
President and CEO of Baxter Health, said. “But for a community like ours, with so many older neighbors
who have trusted us for years, this accreditation means we are living up to that trust in a very real way.”
Baxter Health’s Emergency Department serves as a regional lifeline for rural communities across our
service area, and this accreditation confirms what neighbors already know: exceptional, specialized
care does not require leaving home to find it. As Baxter Health continues to expand its services, this
Level 1 GEDA accreditation is a clear signal to the community that its Emergency Department is
prepared to care for older adults with the compassion, expertise, and dedicated resources they
deserve.
