McLeod Health Loris, McLeod Health Seacoast and McLeod Regional Medical Center have received several American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Awards for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

The American Heart Association presented Get With The Guidelines-Stroke GOLD Plus with Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll to McLeod Health Seacoast. McLeod Health Loris received Get with the Guidelines-Stroke GOLD Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.

McLeod Regional Medical Center received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award for the sixth consecutive year.

McLeod Regional Medical Center also received the Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll/Target: StrokeSM Elite award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the 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.

Additionally, McLeod Regional received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90 percent of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist healthcare professionals to provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. On average, someone in the U.S. 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.

“Recognition as a Gold Plus stroke center by the American Heart Association demonstrates McLeod Health’s commitment to excellence in stroke care,” said Kelvin Oakley, Stroke Coordinator with McLeod Health Loris Seacoast. “This recognition level comes after 24 consecutive months of meeting or exceeding the benchmark criteria set forth for stroke centers across the nation by AHA. McLeod Health is committed in providing high quality and efficient care for patients experiencing signs and symptoms of a stroke while helping to maintain long term functionality.”

Each year program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

“McLeod is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival after a stroke,” said Dr. Ravish Kothari, Medical Director of Stroke Services for McLeod Regional Medical Center. “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for stroke patients.

“This certification has given us the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide for our patients, helping us to improve overall care for our community. It is an acknowledgement that we have the resources and commitment to provide the best possible stroke care along with the combination of the right equipment, personnel and training to quickly assess and treat strokes. Since 2015, our teams have worked hard to maintain our level of care at the gold level status set by the American Heart Association” added Dr. Kothari.

McLeod Regional Medical Center also met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. McLeod was the first hospital in the region to become a certified Primary Stroke Center in 2014.

“We are pleased to recognize McLeod Health for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.