Washington Regional Medical Center has received four national awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for its stroke care. The hospital was recognized with the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus, Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy, and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll awards.
The awards are part of the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke program, which encourages hospitals to follow evidence-based guidelines in stroke care. Washington Regional met specific criteria for each award. The Gold Plus designation marks the ninth consecutive year the hospital has achieved this level of recognition for providing care based on nationally recognized research and guidelines.
The Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite Plus award acknowledges efforts to reduce the time between a patient’s arrival and treatment with clot-busting medication. This is the fifth time Washington Regional has earned this distinction. Similarly, the Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award recognizes reduced time to treatment for removing clots causing strokes; it is also the fifth consecutive year for this honor.
For patients with Type 2 diabetes hospitalized due to stroke, Washington Regional received the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll – Stroke award for ensuring up-to-date care. This is the sixth year in a row that the hospital has been recognized in this category.
Stroke remains a significant health concern as it is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Washington Regional is currently Arkansas’s only hospital certified by The Joint Commission as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, offering continuous in-person care from stroke experts and specialized units for intensive and progressive neurological care.
“Get With The Guidelines helps our team put the latest research-based and evidence-based guidelines into practice each day, which studies show can help stroke patients recover better and lead longer, healthier lives,” said Kasha Pinkerton, MSN, RN, SCRN, CNL-BC, Washington Regional’s director of nursing for centers of excellence. “The Get With The Guidelines program supports Washington Regional’s mission of improving the health of the communities we serve.”
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Washington Regional for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association 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.”
