Effective 12-8-23: Due to Flu Season, all SLH Hospital Visitors must be 12 years of age or older; 2 visitors are permitted to a room.
St. Lawrence Health

Standards and Values

Standards of Behavior

Integrity - Guiding Our Actions by Ethical Commitments

  • Consistently acts in the best interests of our patients, their families, our hospital and our community
  • Follows through on commitments, holding self and others accountable for actions and outcomes
  • Speaks up and takes positive action when something seems wrong, inappropriate or inconsistent with our values or standards
  • Consistently acts with openness, honesty, transparency and trustworthiness in communication
  • At all times respects the dignity, privacy and confidentiality of others

Respect - Recognizing and Responding to the Value of Others

  • Demonstrates respect for the personal autonomy, intrinsic dignity and worth, and individual uniqueness of each person we serve
  • Treats others in a manner that elicits mutual trust, understanding and partnership toward success
  • Values diversity of personal experience, cultural insights and perspectives, professional identity and training in achieving collaborative goals
  • Demonstrates consideration of others with regard for the feelings and needs of others and an awareness of the effect of one's own behavior on them
  • Seeks out opportunities to demonstrate regard and appreciation for others

Compassion - Providing Excellent Care with Kindness

  • Identifies with others, acting with thoughtfulness in anticipation of their needs
  • Consistently approaches others with respect, dignity, courtesy and warmth
  • Actively listens to the needs of others, and in understanding these needs acts promptly to address them
  • Acknowledges others by name, with eye contact and a smile
  • Maintains a focused and personal presence when engaged in service to others

Professional - Acting with Mature Insight, Sound Judgment and High Standards

  • In appearance, demeanor and deportment conveys a professional image in interaction with others
  • Brings the highest professional standards of ethics, knowledge, skill and competence to bear in decision-making and work performance
  • Approaches workplace challenges in a manner that reflects professional maturity, confidence and respectfulness
  • Understands and embraces the core professional identity as one whose talents are placed in the service of others for their benefit
  • Preserves the safety, security and confidentiality of private, protected information in all professional contexts

Excellence - Commitment to Quality, Innovation and Continuous Improvement

  • Continually challenges the status quo in pursuit of bettering our best
  • Utilizes data and measurement to benchmark processes and outcomes
  • Embraces evidence-based practices as minimal standards of practice
  • Demonstrates a personal commitment to deliver excellence in safety, quality and service
  • Understands accreditation, regulatory and stakeholder expectations and exceeds them
  • Embraces change in the continuous pursuit of innovation and superior care

Standards of Behavior

Our St. Lawrence Health Standards of Behavior unite us in a common purpose of making a positive difference for our patients and community. The Standards encompass professional codes of conduct and ethics, as well as practices that everyone would regard as "common courtesy." 

We also hold ourselves to national and state standards of quality through regular review of quality data, and oversight by our Board of Directors, accrediting bodies, and regulatory agencies.

St. Lawrence Health uses the following Service Excellence Standards of Behavior:

  • Commitments to our patients
  • Commitments to each other
  • Sense of ownership/accountability
  • Waiting/responsiveness
  • Appearance
  • Attitude/courtesy
  • Privacy/confidentiality
  • Safety awareness
  • Etiquette