For the second time this month, Southern Regional Medical Center has been awarded a Gold Quality Achievement Award for exceptional care. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has honored the hospital with their Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Gold 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 developed on the latest scientific evidence.
“As a Certified Primary Stroke Center serving the southern crescent community, Southern Regional has remained committed to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients,” said Charlotte W. Dupré, President and CEO of Southern Regional Medical Center. “We are truly proud of the entire Stroke Team who has worked diligently to meet and exceed the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative.”
Southern Regional earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most current 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.
“Our Stroke Team is dedicated to the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke initiative, because it provides our patients the benefit of the latest scientific guidelines-based treatment from the moment they present at our hospital,” explained Dr. Eugene Harris, Southern Regional’s Medical Director of the Stroke Program and an Emergency Medicine physician. “Through our commitment to high-quality care and these proven best practices, we strive to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients.”
Southern Regional Medical Center first earned Primary Stroke Center certification in 2008 and has continually been recertified acknowledging the consistent proficiency in providing advanced care to the community.
“We are pleased to recognize Southern Regional Medical Center of Riverdale, GA, for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 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.