VVMC recognized for participation in Get with the Guidelines®–Stroke Program
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July 8, 2011
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Verde Valley Medical Center recently was recognized by the American College of Cardiology Foundation for its participation in the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Program.
“Our participation in the Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Program demonstrates our commitment to quality healthcare,” said J.J. Bleicher, M.D., VVMC president/CEO. “As a participating hospital, we are following national guidelines that combine medical care and preventive measures with the ultimate goal of saving lives and improving the overall quality of health of our patients and the community.
Get with the Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart and American Stroke associations to work for hospitals nationwide. Developed as a hospital-based quality-improvement program, Get with the Guidelines helps ensure hospitals consistently care for stroke and cardiac patients by following up-to-date procedures and recommendations for treating stroke, coronary artery disease and heart failure. The goal of the program is to improve the quality of life and help reduce deaths and disabilities among patients with heart disease and stroke.
VVMC’s participation in the Get with the Guidelines assures rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke when patients are admitted to the Emergency Department. Training and staffing recommendations, care maps, discharge protocols, standing orders, data-collection and measurement tools are all fall under the broad umbrella of Get with the Guidelines. The program also facilitates creating and sharing best practices among participating hospitals.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association reports that stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, lasting disability in the U.S. On average, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds with a stroke-related death every four minutes. A further 795,000 lives are affected by new or recurring strokes each year.
“These statistics are more than numbers – they are neighbors, friends and family,” Dr. Bleicher said. “Awareness and preventive care can improve such numbers, and more importantly, save people’s lives. That’s why we have chosen to participate in the Get with the Guidelines program.”
In 2010, VVMC was one of 135 hospitals nationwide to receive the American College of Cardiology Foundation’s 2010 Get with the Guidelines Gold Performance Achievement Award. It was the third year in a row VVMC received the gold award. In previous years, VVMC also received silver and bronze performance achievement awards. These awards recognized VVMC’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signified VVMC consistently followed treatment guidelines outlined by the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.
To learn more about Get with the Guidelines, visit heart.org.
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