Greenville, N.C. – The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has awarded all nine ECU Health hospitals Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards and a Mission: Lifeline® award for their work in treating stroke, diabetes, cardiac arrest, heart attack and heart failure. These awards recognize the health system’s commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease, diabetes and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.
“ECU Health is proud to be recognized nationally by the American Heart Association for our commitment to bringing quality care to eastern North Carolina,” said Teresa Anderson, PhD, RN, NE-BC, senior vice president of quality at ECU Health. “Our region experiences high rates of diabetes, stroke and heart disease, and the Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs make it easier for us to meet our mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina by putting proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis.”
ECU Health hospitals receiving recognition include:
Hospital
Program
Awards
ECU Health Beaufort Hospital – A Campus of ECU Health Medical Center
Stroke
Gold Plus
Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
ECU Health Bertie Hospital
Stroke
Silver Plus
Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
ECU Health Chowan Hospital
Stroke
Gold Plus
Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
ECU Health Duplin Hospital
Stroke
Silver Plus
Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital
Stroke
Silver Plus
Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
ECU Health Medical Center
Stroke
Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation Bronze Adult
Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation Gold Pediatric
Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation Silver Neonate/Infant
Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
ECU Health Medical Center
Heart
Mission: Lifeline – NSTEMI Gold
Mission: Lifeline – STEMI Receiving Center Gold
ECU Health North Hospital
Stroke
Silver Plus
Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital
Stroke
Gold Plus
Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
The Outer Banks Hospital
Stroke
Silver Plus
Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, cardiovascular disease and stroke are the first and fifth leading causes of death in the United States, respectively. On average, someone in the United States suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Stroke kills about 140,000 Americans each year, accounting for one out of every twenty deaths. In eastern North Carolina, the stroke death rate is even higher, highlighting the need for preventative and rapid care. The state also has a higher burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize ECU Health 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.”