Butler Health System has been awarded a stroke center certification by an independent accreditation organization.

The certification by the Bureau of Healthcare Facilities for HFAP “confirms that Butler Health System is providing high quality care as determined by an independent, external process of evaluation,” the hospital said in a news release Tuesday.

“Butler Health System clearly demonstrates a commitment to quality and patient safety,” said Lawrence Haspel, chairman of the HFAP bureau. “We base our decision on the findings of an extensive and thorough on-site review of Butler Memorial Hospital against recognized national standards for patient safety, quality, improvement and environmental safety.”

Ken DeFurio, president and CEO of BHS, called the certification “prestigious” and said the health care system is proud to have achieved the recognition.

“Earning HFAP certification is a significant achievement that recognizes our commitment to providing outstanding care to out patients and our community,” said DeFurio. “In fact, quality is consistently the priority focus in our strategic plans and goals.”

Butler Memorial Hospital is a 296-bed facility that serves seven counties. BHS also includes numerous outpatient locations for lab work, imaging, cardiology testing and more than 50 primary and specialty physician offices in Butler, Armstrong, Clarion, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties.

HFAP is a national nonprofit organization that has accrediting authority from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It was created in 1945 as the first health care accrediting body in the United States. In 2015 it was acquired by the Accreditation Association for Hospitals/Health Systems.