Northside Hospital-Forsyth has received recognition for the care it provides pneumonia and heart patients.

According to reports from the hospital, it earned a gold seal care certification for pneumonia from the Joint Commission and chest pain center accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

Joint Commission is an independent nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.

Society of Chest Pain Centers is an international nonprofit whose mission is to eliminate heart disease.

Skip Putnam, CEO of Northside-Forsyth, said in a statement that the recognition is representative of the level of care hospital employees provide.

"Northside is proud of the continued commitment of our staff and physicians to offer high quality and compassionate care to our patients," he said.

The pneumonia care certification is good for two years.

This is the second time Northside’s Forsyth and Sandy Springs locations have earned the certification, and the Cherokee County site first earned it in 2010.

Together, the three hospitals remain the only ones in Georgia to receive the certification. There are just nine in the nation that hold it.

This is the first time for the Forsyth and Sandy Springs campuses to earn the chest pain center accreditation, which is good for three years.

"These [chest pain] accreditations … demonstrate our commitment to higher standards and to enhancing the quality of care for our heart patients," Putnam said.

According to reports, Northside offers a wide range of heart disease and education programs and various cardiac diagnostic services at all three campuses.

For both certifications, the hospital sites underwent extensive on-site evaluations.