Washington Regional Earns Four National Awards for Stroke Care
Washington Regional Medical Center has earned four American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines® Achievement Awards for stroke care. Washington Regional achieved the Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus, Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy, and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll awards.
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, and brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and reducing recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is a program focused on improving stroke care in hospitals by promoting consistent adherence to evidence-based guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death. Washington Regional met specific criteria to achieve each award.
Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus
This award recognizes Washington Regional’s commitment to providing patients with the most appropriate stroke care based on nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. This is the ninth consecutive year Washington Regional has achieved the Gold Plus designation.
Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus award
To achieve this recognition, Washington Regional met specific criteria to reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with clot-busting medications. This is the fifth time Washington Regional has earned this designation.
Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award
Washington Regional received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award by meeting criteria to lower the amount of time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke. This is the fifth consecutive year Washington Regional has achieved this recognition.
Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll - Stroke
Washington Regional achieved this recognition for ensuring patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke. This is the sixth consecutive year Washington Regional has earned this award. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. As the only hospital in Arkansas to be certified by The Joint Commission as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, Washington Regional provides the area’s highest level of stroke care with 24/7 in-person care with stroke experts, a dedicated neurosurgical intensive care unit, neuro progressive unit, and specialty clinics that provide follow-up care and education.
“Get With The Guidelines helps our team put the latest research-based and evidence-based guidelines into practice each day, which studies show can help stroke patients recover better and lead longer, healthier lives,” said Kasha Pinkerton, MSN, RN, SCRN, CNL-BC, Washington Regional’s director of nursing for centers of excellence. “The Get With The Guidelines program supports Washington Regional’s mission of improving the health of the communities we serve.”
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Washington Regional for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “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.”