ROCKINGHAM — FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital–Richmond has been awarded the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Get with the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award and Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
The awards recognize the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke and diabetes patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines adhering to the latest scientific evidence.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and a major cause of disability for adults. About 795,000 people have a stroke each year, but often stroke is preventable, said Melanie Blacker, M.D., a neuro hospitalist at FirstHealth.
“Fast treatment is important in preventing death and disability from stroke,” she said. “That has remained a focus of FirstHealth’s multidisciplinary stroke team. Receiving recognition from Get With The Guidelines shows the dedication of our physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses in providing optimal care for our patients at all FirstHealth campuses.”
According to Barb McGrath, R.N., FirstHealth is dedicated to providing the highest quality care for patients with stroke through the implementation of the Get with the Guidelines initiative.
“Our team is committed to raising community awareness regarding stroke symptom recognition and early EMS engagement,” she said. “Every minute counts to preserve brain function.”
In 2019, MRH-Richmond was awarded the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Silver Plus Performance Achievement Award and Target Stroke Honor Roll.
“Our staff and providers work together as a team to provide exceptional care to all of our patients,” said Allison Duckworth, R.N., nursing executive for MRH–Richmond. “This repeated recognition is a testament to their commitment to improving patient outcomes, and the health of our community. We are fortunate to have such great care givers in this area.”
Get With The Guidelines is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of savings lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit www.heart.org.
