Awards and Achievements

Health care

Steven D. Atwood, MD, FACP, received the Laureate Award from the Missouri chapter of the American College of Physicians. The award is the highest granted by the college at the state level, and it honors fellows and masters of the American College of Physicians who have demonstrated an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education research and service to their communities.

James E. Bureman, OD, has been honored as 2000 Optometrist of the Year by the Missouri Optometric Association. He is center director for the Missouri Eye Institute in Springfield.

Freeman Health System in Joplin was the first health care system in Missouri and the sixth in the United States to earn an ISO 9002 registration certificate. ISO registration is a process by which health systems improve and monitor the delivery of patient care. To attain the registration certificate, health systems must continually measure quality and strive to eliminate medical errors.

The Mercy Regional Health Foundation at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin provided a Physio-Control Lifepak 12 defibrillator for Maude Norton Memorial Hospital in Columbus, Kan. The defibrillator cost $10,021, and was paid for by donations, bequests and fundraising events of the foundation. The foundation also presented a defibrillator and other medical equipment, valued at $5,146 for a new medical first responder unit at the volunteer fire department in West Mineral, Kan.

St. Johns' Regional Medical Center in Joplin was reaccredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The health center has received JCAHO accreditation since 1953.