PORTLAND, Ore. – Adventist Medical Center (AMC) recently received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's (AHA/ASA) Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) - Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes AMC's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations provided by the AHA/ASA.

 

"With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the GWTG-Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award addresses the important element of time," said Dr. Howard Taylor, stroke program medical director at AMC. “Our system of rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the hospital's newly expanded emergency department is saving lives and improving outcomes for stroke patients. We are honored to receive this recognition and proud to be able to offer the community leading medical care during the times when they need it most.”

 

To receive the GWTG-Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award, AMC was required to maintain 85 percent compliance to core standard levels as outlined by the AHA/ASA for 24 consecutive months. These requirements include aggressive use of acute care therapies such as antithrombotic medications, anticoagulation therapy and secondary prevention tools such as cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation. The implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines, such as smoke cessation, are critical steps in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients.

 

The GWTG-Stroke program employs a number of tools to help patients including the "teachable moment" method. Because medical studies have shown that the time immediately following a stroke or heart attack is a time when patients are the most likely to listen to and follow their healthcare professionals' guidance, patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital to reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke. In addition, through the GWTG-Stroke program, customized patient education materials based on patients' individual risk profiles are made available at the point of discharge. The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and are available in English and Spanish. A third important component is the GWTG Patient Management Tool which provides access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point of care. 

 

"At Adventist Medical Center, we are focused on improving our quality stroke care by continuing to implement and adhere to the latest GWTG-Stroke standards,” said Pam Almandinger, stroke program coordinator at AMC. “The number of acute stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow during the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population. In an effort to minimize the number of strokes in our community, we are doing what we can to educate the community on stroke prevention and we are working with those who have experienced a stroke to prevent future episodes."

 

According to the American Stroke Association, each year more than 700,000 people suffer a stroke—500,000 are first attacks and 200,000 are recurrent. Of stroke survivors, 21 percent of men and 24 percent of women die within a year with the percentage even higher for those aged 65 and older.

 

Adventist Medical Center (AMC), located in southeast Portland, is a nonprofit, 302-bed acute care facility, offering a full range of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services throughout the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. AMC is a member of Adventist Health, headquartered in Roseville, Calif. The organization represents regional delivery networks spanning California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.