Mercy Medical Center Receives Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for Seventh Consecutive Year

Springfield, MA. (August 11, 2020) – For the seventh year in a row, Mercy Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Mercy Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions

"Mercy Medical Center is not only dedicated to the delivery of high-quality care for our stroke patients, we also foster a culture of continuous improvement through the implementation of the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative. The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes,” said Robert Roose, MD, MPH, FASAM, Chief Medical Officer, Mercy Medical Center and affiliates. "As a proud recipient of the Association's Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for the past seven years, we have additional confirmation of Mercy's longstanding and ongoing commitment to excellence in patient care through a comprehensive approach."

Mercy has also met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.

"We are pleased to recognize Mercy Medical Center for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

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About Mercy Medical Center

Mercy Medical Center has established itself as one of the leading providers of health care services in Western Massachusetts. In 2015, Mercy Medical Center became part of Trinity Health Of New England, an integrated health care delivery system that is a member of Trinity Health, Livonia, Michigan, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation serving communities in 22 states. Mercy Medical Center is a 182-bed acute care hospital in Springfield. Other facilities include Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke; Mercy's Rehabilitation Hospital, a comprehensive hospital-based rehabilitation center on the campus of Mercy Medical Center; Brightside for Families and Children, an outpatient service offering counseling and family support programs; and an outpatient opioid treatment program. Visit us at TrinityHealthOfNE.org for more information and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MercyCaresSpringfieldMA/.

About Get With The Guidelines^®

Get With The Guidelines^® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to 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 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.