Bayhealth awarded for stroke care

Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus and Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus have received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes each hospital’s dedication to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

To earn the award, the hospitals met specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. One measure is the evaluation of proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date guidelines to speed recovery, and reduce death and disability for stroke patients. Another quality measure demonstrated by Bayhealth was providing education to patients before discharge to help them manage their health, arrange transitions of care and get follow-up visits scheduled.

Both Bayhealth hospitals are designated as Primary Stroke Centers. 

Both Bayhealth hospitals earned additional recognition for meeting quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator. Commonly known as tPA, this is the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

Someone in the United States suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability nationally.

For more information, go to www.Bayhealth.org/Stroke.