(WHBC) – Mercy Medical Center is a leading hospital in the state in the effort to reduce deaths from a prevalent and often fatal condition.

Details are in the following release from the hospital.

With a sepsis mortality rate of nine percent, Mercy Medical Center is a leader among Ohio hospitals in rapidly identifying and treating sepsis, exceeding the Ohio Hospital Association’s (OHA) goal of 15 percent.

Sepsis is an extreme response to infection in which the body releases an excess of chemicals into the blood stream, initiating an inflammatory process that can quickly reduce blood flow to vital organs, including the brain, lungs, and kidneys. Of the one million sepsis cases in the United States annually, about 250,000 of those affected—or 1 in 4—die, making it the third leading cause of death in the nation.

“I’m very proud of the Mercy employees and staff members who have worked so hard over the past several years to meet and now exceed statewide sepsis mortality standards,” says Paul Hiltz, Mercy president and CEO. “It’s another tangible representation of our unwavering commitment to patient safety, which we’ve made our highest priority.”

In 2018 Mercy Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes Mercy Medical Center’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the US.