The Queen's Medical Center Respiratory Care Department has received Quality Respiratory Care Recognition from the American Association for Respiratory Care for 2008.

About 700 hospitals out of 5,000 in the United States receive the honor, according to a news release from Queens.

The Queen's Medical Center earned the award under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.

To qualify for the recognition, hospitals must provide a level of care consistent with national standards and guidelines. Hospitals must also provide documentation demonstrating how they met specific conditions regarding the qualifications of staff, the availability of staff, policies, procedures and protocols and medical direction.