The American Heart Association presents, Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Silver award for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care.
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Knox Community Hospital’s stroke program has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Silver quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the US. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts.
When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are crucial to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, including Knox Community Hospital, helping ensure patient care aligns with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines-Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
“Knox Community Hospital’s stroke response team has worked diligently to create an efficient, rapid care process for those presenting with acute stroke symptoms. All the departments involved play a vital role in ensuring stroke patients get the quality care needed – and FAST!” says Stroke Program Coordinator Amanda Wells.
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Knox Community Hospital for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Participation in ‘Get With The Guidelines’ is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
Experts say that immediate medical attention, which is vital, relies on everyone learning and recognizing the BE FAST signs and symptoms of a stroke in themselves and others and calling 911 immediately.