St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC) has received the Gold Plus award from the American Heart/Stroke Associations (AHA/ASA) for its “2016 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke” program. This is the highest achievement awarded by the associations in recognition of a commitment to provide quality care to stroke patients.

Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines. Numerous published studies demonstrate the program’s success in achieving measurable patient outcome improvements, according to AHA/ASA.

“This award is evidence of the strong commitment shared by our emergency care and cardiology teams in delivering quick and effective treatment to stroke patients,” said Mark Bernard, CEO of SJMC. “I am also extremely proud of the personalized approach and compassionate care delivered by our teams to stroke patients and their families.”

SJMC’s downtown location is a designated Primary Stroke Center by DNV Healthcare for meeting national guidelines in the immediate treatment and diagnosis of strokes. The DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification encompasses the full spectrum of stroke care – diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and education – and establishes clear metrics to evaluate outcomes. Comprehensive stroke centers are typically the largest and best-equipped hospitals in a given geographical area that can treat any kind of stroke or stroke complication.

Every 40 seconds, someone has a stroke. It is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and the fifth leading cause of death according to the AHA/ASA. SJMC urges F.A.S.T. thinking to identify the symptoms of a stroke.

“Stroke happens when a blood vessel feeding the brain gets clogged or bursts, cutting off vital blood flow and oxygen,” said Edward Murphy, M.D., neurosurgeon at SJMC. “Treatment is most effective when given within the first few hours after a stroke has occurred, so it is crucial to recognize the symptoms and to act quickly.”