Get With The Guidelines-stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

American Heart Association Award recognizes Garnet Health Medical Center- Catskills’ commitment to quality stroke care

Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills has received the 2020 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensure stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines from the latest scientific evidence.

Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills 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 up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing the risk of death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients received education on managing their health, and scheduled a follow up visit.

“The tools and resources provided through the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative help us improve the quality of care for our stroke patients and allow us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines,” said Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Schiller.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. Someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. To better prepare our community to respond to stroke in a timely manner and with appropriate action, Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills supports using the FAST acronym to help educate the public on the signs and symptoms of stroke:

• F = Face Drooping
• A = Arm Weakness
• S = Speech Difficulty
• T = Time to call 911

The acronym can help people remember and recognize the general signs and symptoms of stroke, including weakness or numbness on one side, facial drooping, slurred or irregular, or difficulty speaking, vision loss and severe headache or dizziness. The sooner symptoms are recognized, the earlier medical help can be sought.

Quicker response time at the onset of stroke can lead to faster treatment, which results in better chances of survival and decreased physical and neurological disabilities. Highly effective treatments that can be administered early from the onset of stroke, include administering the clot dissolving medication alteplase within three to four and one half hours, or a procedure known as a thrombectomy, which can be performed within six to 24 hours.