Decatur Memorial Hospital was recognized with an American Heart Association Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Quality Achievement Award for the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to research-based guidelines.
Decatur Memorial also received the AHA’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between a 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.
“At Decatur Memorial Hospital, we know seconds matter for stroke patients,” said Drew Early, president and CEO of the nonprofit hospital. “This award confirms our commitment to providing comprehensive, expert stroke care for all patients as we continue in our mission to improve lives and build stronger communities through better health.”
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone 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.
“We are pleased to recognize Decatur Memorial Hospital for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, national chairperson of the American Stroke Association Quality Oversight Committee and executive vice chair of neurology and director of acute stroke services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”
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