Mountain Vista Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized-research-based guidelines.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. 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. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.

“Mountain Vista is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping patients have the best possible chance of survival after a stroke,” said Travis Stynes, Mountain Vista Stroke Program Coordinator. “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for stroke patients.”

Each year program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Mountain Vista also provides education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

“We are pleased to recognize Mountain Vista 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.”

Additionally, Mountain Vista received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90 percent of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.”