New Haven, CT - The Hospital of Saint Raphael Stroke Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Silver Plus “Get with the Guidelines” Stroke Quality Achievement Award. The award honors success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted guidelines.
Saint Raphael’s was recognized for achieving at least 12 consecutive months of 85 percent or higher adherence to specific quality measures on stroke care, including the aggressive use of brain-saving medications and therapies. Patients are also counseled to quit smoking and take other steps to limit their risk factors for future strokes. All of the measures are aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.
“‘Time is brain’ when it comes to a stroke, and this award highlights the dedication of our Stroke Center staff to community education in stroke risk factors and signs, getting patients the quickest and most effective treatments, and implementing secondary stroke prevention measures,” said James McVeety, M.D., section chief of Neurology and medical director of the Hospital of Saint Raphael Stroke Center.
“The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., chair of the award’s steering committee and director of Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Saint Raphael’s has been certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The Joint Commission, an independent health-care standards group, has awarded the Hospital of Saint Raphael’s stroke program advanced certification and a Gold Seal of Approval as a Primary Stroke Center. For information about Saint Raphael’s Stroke Center, visit www.srhs.org/stroke
