By Healthcare Facilities Today

The SSM St. Clare Health Center has been declared a Storm Ready supporter by the St. Louis National Weather Service.

The Storm Ready program is a collaboration between the St. Louis NWS and local city, county and business emergency management teams. The designation helps ensure hospital preparedness procedures are in place for weather hazards ranging from mild to severe, according to an article on the South County Times website.

Kelly Pearce, vice president of operations at SSM St. Clare Health Center in Fenton, said the Storm Ready program validated systems the center already has in place. In the article, he said the on-site evaluation required for certification also offers new perspectives and suggestions to assist in St. Clare's quality control efforts.

"We thought that it would be a great opportunity to try to improve ourselves. That was really the driving force behind it," Pearce said in the article. "To bring additional experts in and make sure we are doing everything we can to keep our patients safe."

Pearce said the SSM St. Clare Health Center, which opened in 2009, was built with up-to-date building codes and is one of the most earthquake-proof buildings in this region.

Read the article.