Six Avera Hospitals Earn AHA Awards for Stroke Care Excellence
Several Avera hospitals have received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® ― Stroke quality achievement awards for their commitment to ensuring people experiencing stroke receive timely, appropriate treatment based on nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately helping to save lives and reduce disability.
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, Sioux Falls, SD, Stroke GOLD PLUS; Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy; and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
Avera Queen of Peace Hospital, Mitchell, SD, Rural Stroke SILVER
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, SD, Rural Stroke SILVER
Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, Aberdeen, SD, Rural Stroke SILVER
Platte Health Center Avera, Platte, SD, Rural Stroke SILVER
St. Michael’s Hospital Avera, Tyndall, SD, Rural Stroke BRONZE
Each year, participating hospitals qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality stroke care. In addition to following clinical treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also provide education to help people manage their recovery and ongoing health at home.
Participation is associated with improved patient outcomes, including greater likelihood of being discharged home, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a meaningful benefit for health care systems, families and communities.
The Target Honor Roll and Elite Plus designations mean that Avera McKennan met specific criteria:
To reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke
To ensure that patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.
Stroke is the No. 4 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying the brain is blocked by a clot or ruptures, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching brain tissue. When this happens, brain cells begin to die. Early detection and rapid treatment are critical to improving survival, minimizing disability and supporting faster recovery.
Get With The Guidelines brings the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association into 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 designed to improve stroke care through consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize long-term effects of stroke and help prevent death.
For more information about Avera, visit Avera.org.