AHA recognizes Baptist Crittenden for providing high-quality stroke care

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark., July 30, 2024- Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a top cause of disability in the United States. 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.

“Baptist Crittenden is committed to providing quality stroke and heart care for all our patients,” said Dr. Samuel Pieh, administrator and CEO of Baptist Crittenden. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to access and implement proven knowledge and guidelines on a daily basis, which helps patients recover better. The ultimate goal is to ensure more people in West Memphis experience longer, healthier lives.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the Get With The Guidelines 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 Baptist Crittenden for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Dr. Steven Messe, 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.”

Baptist Crittenden also received the bronze award for Get With The Guidelines - Mission: Lifeline Hospital ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction. This program recognizes hospitals for their outstanding performance in high quality systems care performance by meeting or exceeding guideline therapy recommendations in treating patients presenting with severe heart attacks.

Get 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 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden opened in November 2018 and is an 11-bed, 65,000-square-foot acute care facility serving Crittenden County, Arkansas. The hospital offers emergency services, general and orthopedic surgery, quality inpatient and outpatient diagnostic services, echocardiography imaging and an eight-bay cancer center that provides chemotherapy and infusion therapy.

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