St. Mary’s has received its 9th consecutive gold plus sward for stroke care and 7th Target Stroke Honor Roll recognition from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. Which is good news for the hospital and the community according to Public Relations Manager Mark Ralston.
“The Gold Plus Award reflects excellence in achieving compliance with the Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines measures for stroke care,” according to Ralston. “These are very detailed measure for how you treat stroke patients from the moment they come to the emergency department all the way through their treatment for stroke.”
The honor roll mention recognizes a different form of care.
“The Target Stroke Honor Roll reflects compliance with the guidelines to get PPA [Primary Progressive Aphasia] treatment to stroke patients fast.”
Ralston says the recognition shows St. Mary’s is among the best in the nation regarding stroke care.
“What this says about our level of care is that it’s right up there with some of the best in the country. The AHA/ASA standards are pretty much the highest and best in the nation. They are the gold standard for how to handle stroke patients and provide the best possible care."
He says every minute counts when it comes to strokes, since during a stroke, up to two million brain cells can die every minute treatment is delayed.
St. Mary’s is underwriter with WUGA.
