Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley have been recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
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Heritage Valley Beaver has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with recognition on the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite.
Heritage Valley Sewickley has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.
Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley earned the awards by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. 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.
“This recognition further demonstrates our commitment to delivering advanced stroke treatments to patients quickly and safely,” said Linda Homyk, vice president and chief nursing officer, Patient Care Services, Heritage Valley Health System. “Both Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley continue to strive for excellence in the acute treatment of stroke patients. The recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke further reinforces our team’s hard work.”
Additionally, Heritage Valley Beaver is also recognized on the association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll. To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, 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.
“We are pleased to recognize Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley hospitals 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.”
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. 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.
Heritage Valley Beaver. Pictured left to right: Dr. Ron Leckey, System Director, Emergency Services; Ms.Gina Hrach, director of quality and systems improvement, Great Rivers Affiliate of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association; Kristen Plutko-Ronosky, Stroke Coordinator; Julie Cline, Nurse Manager, Emergency Department; and Norm Mitry, President and CEO, Heritage Valley Health System.
Heritage Valley Sewickley. Pictured left to right: (front row) Tyler Ketterer, Nurse Manager, Emergency Department; Kristen Plutko-Ronosky, Stroke Coordinator; Ms.Gina Hrach, Director of Quality and Systems Improvement, Great Rivers Affiliate of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association; (back row) Norm Mitry, President and CEO, Heritage Valley Health System; Linda Homyk, vice president and chief nursing officer, Patient Care Services; and Dr. Ron Leckey, System Director, Emergency Services.