SSM DePaul Health Center has received the prestigious 2006 Missouri Quality Award. Modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the state honor recognizes excellence in such areas as organizational performance, leadership, customer service and satisfaction.

Dr. Kevin Johnson, vice president of medical affairs and quality at DePaul said, "DePaul has received a number of awards for specific areas of excellence, but the MQA evaluates the entire organization," said Dr. Johnson, "This award honors the big picture and it requires a commitment to excellence from every single staff member."

"DePaul's use of its earlier feedback reports and its focus on continuous improvement have been recognized by the Excellence in Missouri examiners," said Eunice Halverson, corporate vice president Quality Resource Center. "What an awesome acknowledgement of the good work that is being done every day to fulfill the mission of SSM Health Care. Congratulations to everyone at DePaul for a job well done!"

SSM DePaul was the only St. Louis-area hospital to receive the 2006 MQA. Only two other St. Louis-area hospitals have ever received this award. They are SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital.