Kansas City, Mo.— St. Joseph Medical Center has earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®–Stroke Silver Plus Performance Achievement Award.
When it comes to stroke, time lost is brain lost. Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke program was developed to help hospitals ensure that the care they provide to stroke patients is aligned with the latest scientific guidelines. According to the American Heart Association, most hospitals implementing the Get With The GuidelinesStroke quality improvement program realize measurable results making a difference in the lives of patients and their families.
“The award recognizes St. Joseph’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations,” says Kathleen Henderson, RN, MN, ACNS-BC, coordinator of the stroke program at St. Joseph. “Earning the award shows our work in stroke treatment is ongoing.”
To receive the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award, St. Joseph consistently achieved at least 12 consecutive months of 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The GuidelinesStroke Quality Achievement indicators and achieved at least 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures during that same time period.
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds.
“We need to maintain focus on improving the quality of stroke care with the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke protocols” says Henderson. “The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population. But prompt attention and appropriate treatment can make all the difference for patients and their families.”
St. Joseph Medical Center is an acute care facility of Carondelet Health (CarondeletHealth.org) which also includes St. Mary’s Medical Center, three long-term care facilities and home care services. Carondelet Health is dedicated to the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Our commitment to human dignity compels us to provide compassionate, quality healthcare for body, mind and spirit, with a special concern for the poor. We are responsible stewards serving the needs of all people from conception to death. Carondelet Health is a member of Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system.