Three LifeBridge Health Hospitals Recognized Nationally for Commitment to Providing High-Quality Stroke Care

BALTIMORE – Three LifeBridge Health hospitals have received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke quality achievement awards for their 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.

Carroll Hospital, Northwest Hospital and Sinai Hospital each earned “Gold Plus” recognition, the highest achievement possible. 

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.

“LifeBridge Health is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines, and we are thrilled that Sinai, Northwest and Carroll hospitals all achieved this prestigious recognition,” says Leslie Simmons, executive vice president and chief operating officer at LifeBridge Health. “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 across our region 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 LifeBridge Health for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” says 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.”

Each of the LifeBridge Health facilities also achieved additional distinctions in the program. 

Carroll Hospital achieved the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Elite award, and Sinai Hospital achieved the Target: StrokeSM Elite Plus award. To qualify for these recognitions, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at a hospital and treatment with clot-buster alteplase. 

Northwest Hospital received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanc