Press release:
Angel Medical Center is the recipient of three prestigious awards given by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA), in the critical effort to combat stroke, one of western North Carolina’s most serious and pervasive health problems. The AHA/ASA awarded Angel Medical Center with the Silver Plus Award, the Bronze Award, and the Target: Stroke Honor Roll recognition. Each award carries its own distinct merit recognizing hospitals that meet the qualifications defined by the AHA/ASA’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke® program, an evidence- and guideline-based approach to ensure that patient’s receive the best stroke care available.
Angel Medical Center’s three new awards are consistent with the hospital’s status as a “Stroke-Ready Hospital,” which was granted by the AHA/ASA and the Joint Commission in 2016, a national health care accreditation and certification organization. In order to earn this title, Angel Medical Center had to comply with a rigorous set of care standards, including having stroke care specialists on staff and 24/7 availability to perform rapid diagnostic and laboratory testing.
“Along with pride in the quality of care Angel Medical Center staff provides to stroke patients, this recognition reflects the importance of stroke care to our community, which is older, sicker and less likely to be insured than state and national averages. When you couple this with the fact that western North Carolina is within the “stroke belt” of the United States – a group of southeastern states whose populations suffer from much higher rates of stroke and mortality, Angel Medical Center’s significant investments and preparedness to treat stroke patients expertly and quickly becomes even more obvious,” said Karen Gorby, President and CNO of Angel Medical Center. “Angel Medical Center is dedicated to helping our patients receive the best possible outcomes, and implementing the American Heart Association’s/American Stroke Associations’ Get With The Guidelines Program will help us accomplish that by making it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis,” said Gorby.
The Get With The Guidelines-Stroke® Program’s goals include saving lives and hastening recovery after stroke, which can be long and arduous due to stroke’s lasting effects on the brain and body. Challenges may include paralysis, speech challenges, and difficulty with mobility. Many hospitals that implement Get With The Guidelines® identify measurably improved patient outcomes and fewer recurring events. To even qualify for an award, a hospital must achieve Participating Get With The Guidelines Hospital Status, and demonstrate compliance with seven Get With The Guidelines Achievement Measures in at least 85 percent of all eligible patients. To learn more about the AHA/ASA Get With The Guidelines® Program, go to heart.org/quality.
The awards have earned Angel Medical Center a place in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” issue for designated quality-award-winning levels, as well as recognition at the upcoming International Stroke Conference in February, 2018, and highlight both Angel Medical Center’s and Mission Health’s high level of commitment to excellence in stroke care.
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