Houston Medical Center Earns American Heart Association Awards for Providing High-Quality Stroke Care
Thursday, July 7th, 2022
Houston Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s (AHA) GOLDPLUS Get With The Guidelines - Stroke quality achievement award for its 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.
In addition, Houston Medical Center received the AHA’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll award for meeting specific criteria to reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with clot-buster alteplase. The hospital also received the AHA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award for ensuring 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.
“Houston Medical Center is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” says Kevin Rowley, Public Information Officer for Houston Healthcare. “Get With The Guidelines program makes it easier for our teams 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 Houston County community can experience longer, healthier lives.”
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. 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.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Houston Medical Center for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “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.”
Get With The Guidelines® puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and the 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.
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.
“This was a huge accomplishment for our team considering these patients were treated during the height of the COVID 19 Delta surge last year,” explains Francis Peed, MSN, RN, EMTP, Director of Critical and Cardiovascular Care for Houston Medical Center. “Despite the unprecedented volume of extremely critical ill patients, our team provided a high standard of care to this very important patient population in our community. Many of the stroke patients we managed during this time received specialized treatment in nursing units not dedicated to stroke management care due to the overwhelming surge of COVID patients requiring care in our critical care units. This speaks to the strength and clinical resilience of our stroke team here at Houston Medical Center.”
