GREENSBORO, Ga. — St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plusquality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

“St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” Stonish Pierce, president and CEO of Trinity Health Georgia, which includes Good Samaritan Hospital. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in the communities we serve can experience longer, healthier lives.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “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.”

In addition to the recognition for Good Samaritan Hospital, AHA recognized St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens and St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia with the Association’s Stroke Gold Plus Award. St. Mary’s Hospital, which has continuously received the Gold Plus award for stroke care since 2009, also was named to AHA’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Sacred Heart Hospital, which has received the Stroke Gold Plus award two years in a row, was also named to the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.