Crestwood earns recognition in stroke detection

HUNTSVILLE – Crestwood Medical Center has received achievement awards from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.

These associations recognized Crestwood with the “Get With The Guidelines -Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.”

The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment. Crestwood applies nationally recognized, research-based guidelines that implement the latest scientific evidence.

In addition, Crestwood received the Heart Failure Bronze Quality Achievement Award. Crestwood earned this honor for implementing specific, quality improvement measures that the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation have defined.

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

These quality measures help hospital teams to speed recovery and reduce death and disability for stroke patients. They use medications like clot-busting and anti-clotting drugs, blood thinners and cholesterol-reducing drugs, along with preventive action for deep vein thrombosis and smoking cessation counseling.

“A stroke patient loses 1.9 million neurons each minute stroke treatment is delayed. This recognition further demonstrates our commitment to delivering stroke treatments to patients quickly and safely,” Lori Light said. Light is Crestwood Director of Marketing & Communications.

“Crestwood continues to strive for excellence in the acute treatment of stroke patients. The recognition from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s ‘Get With The Guidelines – Stroke’ further reinforces our team’s hard work,” Light said.

According to the heart and stroke associations, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, an American individual suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

Fortunately, many patients with heart failure can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.

For more information about Crestwood Cardiovascular Services, call 256-429-4000 or visit crestwoodmedcenter.com.