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Memorial Stroke Association achievement award

by jmaloni
Thu, Sep 16th 2010 05:00 pm
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has received the American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines -- Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award.

The award recognizes Memorial's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

"With a stroke, time lost is brain lost and the Get With The Guidelines -- Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award addresses the important element of time," said Memorial President and CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo.  "The New York state-designated stroke center at Niagara Falls Memorial has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate."

To receive the Get With The Guidelines -- Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award, Memorial consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the Get With The Guidelines -- Stroke program for 90 days. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. The 90-day evaluation period is the first in an ongoing self-evaluation by the hospital to continually reach the 85 percent compliance level needed to sustain this award.

Get With The Guidelines -- Stroke uses the "teachable moment," the time soon after a patient has had a stroke, when they are most likely to listen to and follow their health care professionals' guidance. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second stroke. Through Get With The Guidelines - Stroke, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge, based on patients' individual risk profiles.

According to the ASA, each year approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke -- 610,000 are first attacks and 185,000 are recurrent. Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. is suffering from a stroke.  This deadly condition accounts for 1 out of every 18 deaths in the U.S.

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