AUSTIN, TEXAS — Several St. David’s HealthCare facilities are being recognized for providing quality care to stroke patients by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. St. David’s Medical Center, St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, and St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center received the association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist healthcare professionals in providing the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients.
“We are honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival after a stroke,” Kenneth Mitchell, M.D., chief medical officer for St. David’s HealthCare, said. “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for stroke patients.”
In addition to following treatment guidelines, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.
St. David’s Medical Center, St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, St. David’s South Austin Medical Center and St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center also received the association’s Target: StrokeSM Elite award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. St. David’s Georgetown Hospital also received the Target: Stroke Honor Roll.
To learn more about Get With The Guidelines-Stroke and its recognition criteria, please visit the American Heart Association’s website.