Mercy Health is proud to be recognized once again by the American Heart Association for our commitment to delivering the highest standard of stroke care in the region. Their recognition honors our 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 number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability nationwide. 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 key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times.
For the fourth consecutive year, Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get with The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award. The hospital earned the Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll award for reducing the time between a stroke patient’s arrival and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.
Meanwhile, Mercy Health – Urbana Hospital received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award. People who live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than urban counterparts and have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease and face a 30% increased risk for stroke mortality — a gap that has grown over the past two decades. This award is proof Mercy Health is working to change that, making efforts to optimize stroke care and eliminate rural health care outcome disparities.
“At Mercy Health, we’re committed to delivering the highest quality stroke care by consistently applying the latest, evidence-based treatment guidelines across all of our facilities,” said Chase Collins, Director of Neurosciences for Mercy Health - Springfield. “The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program equips our teams to turn clinical research into real-world outcomes every day — outcomes that help our patients recover faster and live longer, healthier lives. Being recognized again this year reflects our ongoing dedication to improving stroke care for the communities we serve.”
Get With the Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned 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.
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 also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center and Mercy Health – Urbana Hospital for their commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., 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.”