Now in her eighties, there is nothing more that Clara McMullen enjoys than a trip with her daughter and granddaughter. From New York to Las Vegas, they never miss a sight. Then four months ago, Clara took the trip of her lifetime – But this one wasn’t far from home.
An ambulance was called as soon as Clara began having the symptoms of a stroke. During transport, the CHRISTUS St. Michael Emergency Department was briefed on her condition by emergency responders. Clara was administered tPA in a timely manner which improved the blood flow to the brain. Because of the quick action of Clara’s family and the team at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System, Clara is ready to travel again.
Outcomes, like Clara’s have led CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System to receive the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
Hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures to receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.
To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System 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 quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.
“A stroke patient loses 1.9 million neurons each minute stroke treatment is delayed. This recognition further demonstrates our commitment to delivering advanced stroke treatments to patients quickly and safely,” said John Graham, M.D., VP of Medical Affairs. “CHRISTUS St. Michael is dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke helps us achieve that goal.”
CHRISTUS St. Michael is also designated as a Primary Stroke Center with advanced certification from the Joint Commission and is designated by the State of Texas, Department of State Health Services, as a Level II Primary Stroke Center.
“The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize CHRISTUS St. Michael for its commitment to stroke care,” said Paul Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. “Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program.”
Get With The Guidelines®-S puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping hospital care teams ensure the care provided to patients is aligned with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal to save lives and improve recovery time, Get With The Guidelines®-S has impacted more than 3 million patients since 2003.
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, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
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About CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System
CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System is nestled within over 128 acres of oak, pine, and dogwood trees along Interstate 30 in Texarkana, Texas. Its central location in Northeast Texas allows CHRISTUS St. Michael to serve residents of Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.
CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System includes a 311-bed acute care hospital, the 50-bed CHRISTUS St. Michael Rehabilitation Hospital, the 43-bed CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital – Atlanta, the W. Temple Webber Cancer Center, CHRISTUS St. Michael Imaging Center, CHRISTUS St. Michael Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, CHRISTUS St. Michael Day Rehabilitation; CHRISTUS St. Michael Wound Care Center; CHRISTUS St. Michael Health & Fitness Center, CHRISTUS St. Michael Outpatient Rehabilitation Center – Atlanta, CHRISTUS St. Michael Health & Fitness Center-Atlanta, and more.
Established in 1916 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word as Michael Meagher Memorial Hospital, CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System focuses on the mission of “Extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.” CHRISTUS St. Michael offers comprehensive services ranging from specialized care for women and a Level III NICU to comprehensive cancer and heart services. CHRISTUS St. Michael is a recognized regional leader for general surgery, heart care, heart surgery, vascular surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and cancer care. The Emergency Department, a Level III Trauma Center, treats an average of over 63,000 patients a year, more than any area ED.
The hospital provides quality, patient-centered care through an affiliation with the #1 rated heart program* in the nation, Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute; our dedicated Primary Stoke Center recognized with The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval™ for Stroke; and the Center for Joint Replacement, also recognized with The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval™ for Joint Replacement – Hip and Joint Replacement – Knee.
CHRISTUS St. Michael is the region’s only only NICHE designated hospital, demonstrating its commitment to elder care excellence, and only ACR designated Breast Imaging Center of Excellence.
*According to US News and World Report
About Get With The Guidelines®
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 saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
