UnityPoint Health – Trinity Bettendorf and Muscatine were honored with the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Stroke quality achievement awards for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment.
The recognition is based on nationally recognized, research-based guidelines that ultimately lead to more lives saved and reduced disability.
UnityPoint Health announced these awards in a news release Wednesday, July 31:
- Trinity Bettendorf – Get With The Guidelines GOLD PLUS with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
- Trinity Muscatine – Get With The Guidelines – Rural Stroke BRONZE; Get With The Guidelines – Rural Stroke SILVER; and Get With The Guidelines – Rural Stroke SILVER PLUS.
This marks the first year that Trinity Muscatine has been recognized by the American Heart Association for stroke care. It’s the sixth year for Trinity Bettendorf.
According to UnityPoint, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death. And it is a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked by a clot or bursts.
When that happens, UnityPoint said, 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.
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.
The partnership is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
Patients recover faster
“Putting proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis helps patients recover better and faster,” said Dr. Mohammad Sajed. He is medical director of the Stroke and Neurohospitalist program at UnityPoint Health – Trinity. “Our team strives to recognize and treat stroke symptoms in less than 45 minutes. This evidence-based approach to care gives providers the tools they need to effectively treat stroke patients and place them on the best path for recovery and rehabilitation.”
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize UnityPoint Health – Trinity for its commitment to caring for stroke patients,” said Dr. Steven Messe, 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.”
To learn more about stroke treatment, recovery and support at Trinity, visit unitypoint.org.
