HCA New England Healthcare’s Frisbie Memorial Hospital, Parkland Medical Center, and Portsmouth Regional Hospital have received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke quality achievement awards for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Parkland Medical Center received the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus, and Frisbie Memorial Hospital received the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Silver Plus achievement award. Frisbie Memorial Hospital earned its first designation as a Primary Stroke Center earlier this year.
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
“HCA New England Healthcare hospitals are committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Brian Sanders, MD, chief medical officer, HCA New England Healthcare. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams across our facilities to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in the communities we serve can experience longer, healthier lives. I am proud of our teams and their continued dedication to the care of patients in our communities.”
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Parkland Medical Center, and Frisbie Memorial Hospital for their commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Parkland Medical Center also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.
Additionally, Portsmouth and Parkland hospitals received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.