Earned Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for fifth year in a row
Idaho Falls, ID - Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus quality 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.
This marks the fifth year in a row that EIRMC has achieved this designation.
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain bursts or is blocked by a clot. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get needed blood and oxygen, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and increasing recovery times.
“EIRMC adheres to the latest treatment guidelines set forth by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association,” said Melissa Campbell, MSN, RN, CNRN, Stroke Program Coordinator. “This ensures our patients receive the most up-to-date clinical care. Our goal is for our community to experience longer, healthier lives, and stroke survivors to be among those.”
The EIRMC stroke team is comprised of dedicated professionals including neurologists, interventional radiologists, emergency department physicians, nurses, CT technologists, phlebotomists, and pharmacists. However, this is not all that is involved in the care of stroke patients. EIRMC has inpatient neurologists, hospitalists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists (to name a few) available to ensure ongoing care and access to rehabilitation services early in the recovery process. Additionally, EIRMC has an inpatient acute rehabilitation unit for continued therapy services after discharge from the hospital, while receiving exceptional nursing care. “We offer robust stroke care from entry into the emergency department to discharge” states Campbell. Outpatient therapy services are also offered at EIRMC for patients requiring additional therapy once they return home.
EIRMC also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Elite Plus Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, EIRMC met specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with intravenous thrombolytic therapy. “Our median door-to-needle time is an impressive 30 minutes,” said Campbell. The national door-to-needle standard is 60 minutes.
In addition, EIRMC received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Advanced Therapy Honor Roll award by meeting specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke. This procedure requires a specialty trained group of neuro-interventional radiologists, nurses, and CT technologists.
EIRMC also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke. “This is important as these patients might be at higher risk for complications, have an increased risk of repeat stroke, or higher mortality rates,” states Campbell.
For several years, EIRMC has been designated a Primary Stroke Center featuring a system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. admitted to the emergency department. “We are proud of these achievements and are dedicated to providing our community and all of Southeast Idaho with exceptional stroke care,” said Melissa Campbell.
About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.