Henry Mayo staff was once again recognized by the American Heart Association for their care with stroke patients, the hospital announced Tuesday.
For the sixth consecutive year, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital garnered the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.
The nod recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment, according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, hospital officials said.
“We are dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Dr. Larry Kidd, Henry Mayo senior vice president and chief clinical officer.  “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”
Henry Mayo earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period, according to a news release this week. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
Henry Mayo additionally received the association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll 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.
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. 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.
