St. Joseph's Medical Center has recently been recognized by the American Heart Association for outstanding stroke and heart attack care, receiving the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award and the Mission: Lifeline® Silver Receiving Quality Achievement Award.
"St. Joseph's is proud to have a long legacy of excellence in the acute treatment of both stroke and heart attack patients," said Don Wiley, Hospital President and CEO. "This recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is a direct reflection of our team's hard work and dedication to providing the best care possible to our patients."
St. Joseph's earned the Get With The Guidelines®- Silver Quality Achievement Award, by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. These quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.
This award recognizes St. Joseph's commitment and success ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.
"The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize St. Joseph's for its commitment to stroke care," said Paul Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. "Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program."
St. Joseph's has also received the Mission: Lifeline® Silver Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.
Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most deadly type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. St. Joseph's has met specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients by providing emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries when needed.
The American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline program's goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call and continuing through hospital treatment.
"We commend St. Joseph's for this achievement award, which reflects a significant institutional commitment to the highest quality of care for their heart attack patients," said James G. Jollis, MD, Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Advisory Working Group."Achieving this award means the hospital has met specific reporting and achievement measures for the treatment of their patients who suffer heart attacks and we applaud them for their commitment to quality and timely care."