DILLON— McLeod Health Dillon has received the American Heart Association’s Silver Plus Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for 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 for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
“McLeod Health Dillon is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Joan Ervin, CEO of McLeod Health Dillon. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in Dillon can experience longer, healthier lives.”
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize McLeod Health Dillon for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
McLeod Health Dillon also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase.
In addition, McLeod Health Dillon received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll Elite award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure 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.
About McLeod
Health Dillon
With a strong history in the Dillon community since 1943, McLeod Health Dillon has continued to grow and expand to serve residents of Dillon (SC) and Robeson (NC) counties through excellence in patient care. The medical system employs 350 and has the strength of 100 physicians on its medical staff. McLeod Health Dillon offers general and orthopedic surgery, women’s services, emergency services, intensive care, sleep lab services, rehabilitation services and cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation. Investments in state-of-the-art technology to improve patient care have included MRI, 3D mammography, 4D ultrasounds, vascular studies, CT scans and nuclear studies.
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 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 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
