St. E's receives award for stroke patients' care

Photo

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital’s stroke team and others involved in stroke care are, seated from left, Mary Ann Cashier, stroke center coordinator; Lory Winland of the American Heart/American Stroke Association; Dr. Donald Tamulonis and Karen Walters. Standing are Shannon Galgan, Stella Maiorana, Michelle George, Sarah Marotti, Nick Hrelac, Dr. Paul Chesis, Nicole Lester, Dr. Albert Cook, Mara Piersol, Jesse McClain, Erika Mikula, Mary Bigowsky, Dr. Chad Donley, Mary Ann Turjanica, Roselyn Cera, Marla Jones, Sue Nespeca and Daneen Mace.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has honored St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, part of the Mercy Health system, for its commitment and success in ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to the latest nationally recognized guidelines.

The hospital has received the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with the Target: Stroke Honor Roll.

To receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, hospitals must reach at least 85 percent adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve at least 75 percent compliance with five of the eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures.

To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, hospitals must meet rules designed to lessen the time between the patient’s arrival and his treatment with a “clot-busting” drug. The drug, a tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke, which is a stroke caused by a blood clot.

The drug greatly reduces the effects of stroke and lessens the chance of permanent disability if a qualifying stroke patient receives tPA intravenously in the first three hours after symptoms appear.

St. E’s Youngstown earned the award by meeting specific quality goals for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. These quality measures help hospitals provide the most up-to-date, researched guidelines to speed the recovery and reduce death and disability of stroke patients.

St. E’s also has met specific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.

For providers, Get With The Guidlines-Stroke provides quality improvement measures, discharge procedures, standing orders and other measurement tools.

When hospitals receive resources and information that make it easier to follow treatment guidelines, it can help save lives and cut overall costs by reducing the number of stroke patients who are readmitted.

For patients, Get With The Guidelines-Stroke uses the “teachable moment,” the time soon after patients have had a stroke, when they learn how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital and recognize the warning signs of a stroke.