American Heart Association Award recognizes Southeast Georgia Health System’s
commitment to quality stroke care.
August 14, 2020 - Southeast Georgia Health System has received the American
Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke
Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award 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.
The Health System earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement
measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients for the prior
12 month 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.
“Southeast Georgia Health System is dedicated to improving the quality
of care for our stroke patients by following the measures outlined in
the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke
initiative,” said Cynthia Gahm, R.N., Stroke Coordinator. “The
tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in
meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient
outcomes.”
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,
stroke is the number five 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.