ST. CHARLES, MO – SSM Neurosciences Institute at St. Joseph Health Center has been recognized for achievement in using evidence-based guidelines to provide the best possible care to patients through The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® program.
SSM St. Joseph Health Center has received the Get With the Guidelines Gold Performance Achievement Award for Stroke Care and is honored along with 814 other hospitals in a special advertisement in the “America’s Best Hospitals” issue of US News & World Report (August issue). A total of 961 awards were given for achievement in coronary artery disease, stroke and/or heart failure treatment.
Get With The Guidelines® is a hospital-based quality-improvement program designed to ensure that hospitals consistently care for cardiac and stroke patients using the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. For more information, visit www.americanheart.org/getwiththeguidelines
More than 1,400 hospitals participate in the program. Hospitals recognized in each category achieve at least 85 percent compliance to Get With The Guidelines® measures. Those achieving 85 percent compliance for two consecutive years receive the Gold Performance Achievement Award.
“Approximately 780,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year,” says Sharon Pulver, RN, MSN, network stroke coordinator for the SSM Neurosciences Institute, “and receiving the right care at the right time is the difference between life and death. Unfortunately the majority of patients do not receive optimal care. That’s why this program is so important. Our participation means we are making a real difference in the lives of our stroke patients – and in our community.”
Warning signs of stroke include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; or sudden, severe headache with no known cause. For more information, visit www.ssmhealth.com/stroke
About SSM St. Joseph Health Center
SSM St. Joseph Health Center, a state-designated Level II Trauma Center, Chest Pain Center and Primary Stroke Center, is recipient of the Premier Award for Quality, Premier/CareScience Award for Excellence in Quality of Patient Care and Efficiency, and Premier Award for Quality/National Leader in Heart Attack Care. The facility offers a broad range of exceptional services and houses SSM Cancer Care, the SSM Heart Institute, The Vascular Institute, SSM Center for Sleep Disorders and more. Along with SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, it is the largest provider of health care in St. Charles, Warren and Lincoln counties. St. Joseph Health Center and St. Joseph Hospital West are members of SSM Health Care, the first health care winner of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. For more information about St. Joseph Health Center, please visit www.ssmstjoseph.com
About SSM Neurosciences Institute
SSM Neurosciences Institute operates the region’s leading network of stroke centers with locations at DePaul Health Center, St. Clare Health Center, St. Joseph Health Center, St. Joseph Hospital West and St. Mary’s Health Center. An expert team of neurologists, neurosurgeons and neurointerventionists provide a full range of neurosciences care, using state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment technology. For more information, visit www.ssmhealth.com/neuro
For more information, contact:
Rachel Peine
Communications Specialist
SSM St. Joseph Health Center
636-947-5621 (office)
314-908-0463 (pager)
Rachel_C_Peine@ssmhc.com