Peace Care St. Ann’s and St. Joseph’s earn AHA heart failure certification

Peace Care St. Ann’s and Peace Care St. Joseph’s in Jersey City each received the American Heart Association’s Skilled Nursing Facility Heart Failure Certification on Oct. 1, 2026. The designation recognizes their heart failure care protocols, education, coordination and quality-improvement efforts aimed at reducing preventable readmissions.

Why it matters: - The certification signals that both Peace Care communities are using a structured, evidence-based approach to heart failure care. - The designation is designed to help skilled nursing facilities reduce preventable readmissions, a major issue for heart failure patients. - Nearly 1 in 4 heart failure patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge, and about half are readmitted within six months. - About one quarter of those readmissions may be preventable.

What happened: - Peace Care St. Ann’s and Peace Care St. Joseph’s each earned the American Heart Association’s Skilled Nursing Facility Heart Failure Certification. - The certification announcement was made Oct. 1, 2026, in Jersey City, New Jersey. - The two facilities are part of Peace Care, which operates skilled nursing communities in Jersey City. - The certification recognizes programs built around heart failure management, caregiver education, care coordination, clinical management and quality improvement.

The details: - The American Heart Association certification evaluates skilled nursing facilities against science-based requirements for heart failure patients. - To qualify, a facility must be in the U.S. or a U.S. territory and run a heart failure program based on current evidence-based guidelines. - Maggie Tadrous, administrator of Peace Care St. Joseph’s, said the certification reflects the community’s commitment to high-quality, evidence-based care and coordinated care for residents with heart failure. - Bob Reyes, administrator of Peace Care St. Ann’s, said the certification reflects the work of the interdisciplinary team across clinical, nursing, social work and support staff. - Joan Kowalski, director of staff development and certification project leader, said the effort began in January and included educational sessions, in-services and meetings to implement enhanced heart failure protocols. - The communities worked to meet the American Heart Association’s requirements over that period. - Peace Care’s heart failure specialty program is part of a broader set of services that also includes short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, memory care, respite care, pastoral care, hospice care and adult medical daycare. - Peace Care is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and says it operates the only nonprofit, faith-based senior communities in Jersey City and Hudson County. - Peace Care St. Ann’s is located at 198 Old Bergen Road, Jersey City, NJ 07305. - Peace Care St. Joseph’s is located at 537 Pavonia Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306. - More information about the certification is available at Heart.org/CertifiedCare.

Between the lines: - The dual certification suggests Peace Care is positioning heart failure care as a systemwide clinical priority, not a single-site effort. - The emphasis on transitions, education and quality improvement points to a strategy aimed at keeping residents stable after discharge and during changes in care settings. - The recognition also gives Peace Care a credential it can use to signal clinical discipline in a competitive senior-care market.

What's next: - Peace Care is likely to continue refining its heart failure protocols and staff training under the certification framework. - The organization said it intends to advance specialized heart failure care across both communities. - The American Heart Association certification may also serve as a benchmark for future quality-improvement work at both facilities.

The bottom line: - Peace Care’s two Jersey City skilled nursing communities now have an American Heart Association designation that validates their heart failure care model and their focus on preventing avoidable hospital readmissions.