St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in nuclear medicine as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology.

Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material, ingested by the patient, to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, and certain other abnormalities within the body.

The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Parameters and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.

"It takes all of us at Sacred Heart to achieve the level of excellence being recognized by our ACR accreditation in nuclear medicine," said hospital President Jeff English. "It's a true team collaboration between our medical staff and our hospital staff. Nuclear medicine is a cutting-edge technology that is typically found in larger communities. We are very proud to be able to provide this life-saving technology to our families and neighbors who look to Sacred Heart for safe, high-quality health care."