CHI Memorial Is Nationally Recognized for Its Commitment to Providing High-quality Stroke Care

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The American Heart Association presents Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus and Silver Plus awards for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care

CHATTANOOGA, TN – CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga has received the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke quality achievement award, and CHI Memorial Hospital Hixson has received the AHA’s Silver Plus Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke quality achievement award.  These awards show CHI Memorial’s  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.

Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S.  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.

“CHI Memorial is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” Diona Brown, market senior vice president, cardiovascular and neurosciences. “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 in Chattanooga and the surrounding counties 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 CHI Memorial for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group.  “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.”

CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga and Hixson also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Elite Plus award.  To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-busting medication.

Both hospitals also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award.  Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

CHI Memorial meets specific scientific guidelines as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.

About CHI Memorial

CHI Memorial is a not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to the healing ministry of the Church. Founded by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and strengthened as part of CommonSpirit Health, it offers a continuum of care including preventative, primary and acute hospital care, as well as cancer and cardiac care, orthopedic and rehabilitation services. CHI Memorial is a regional referral center of choice with 4,500 associates and almost 600 affiliated physicians providing health care throughout Southeast Tennessee, North Georgia and Northwest Alabama. To learn more, visit memorial.org.

About Get With The GuidelinesGet 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.