Primary Stroke Center at Easton Earns Honors from American Heart Association
From left are neurology/telemetry unit team members Jacob Luber, RN; Alessandra-Anna Micheli BSN, RN; Teresa Manship RN, CNRN; and Yassine Zidour BSN, RN.
University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton’s Primary Stroke Center recently was notified by the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA) that it has received the Get With The Guidelines®- Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award with Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. The award recognizes the hospital’s achievement in providing the most effective stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence and for its commitment to prioritizing quality care for stroke patients.
“We are proud that our Stroke Center has received these awards,” said M. Walid Kamsheh, MD, Medical Director of the UM Shore Regional Health Primary Stroke Center. “This is a great achievement for any medical institution and shows that we are competitive among the larger, more well-known stroke care providers within Maryland and the United States. We are honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for our dedication to helping patients have the best possible chance of survival following a stroke.”
According to the AHA and ASA, hospitals earning the Gold Plus quality achievement award have reached an aggressive goal of treating patients with adherence to the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke quality clinical measures.
“Our key players deserve recognition for these awards, including the Emergency Department team, our Stroke Coordinator Nicole Leonard, our entire Brain Attack Team, the nurses on our neurology/telemetry unit and local Emergency Medical Service providers,” Dr. Kamsheh said. “As we continue to provide this level of service and excellence within the Shore Regional Health medical community, we appreciate this recognition.”
Stroke, the number five cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S., is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. Each year, strokes take the lives of more than 130,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Residents of the five-county region served by University of Maryland Shore Regional Health who suffer a stroke have access to the designated Primary Stroke Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.
A Primary Stroke Center designation is given by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) when standards are met to support better outcomes for stroke care. Certification standards include having a dedicated program staffed 24/7 by specially trained medical professionals who provide fast diagnostic services and optimal stroke care.
Inclusion on the Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll is awarded to hospitals demonstrating success in meeting quality measures of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score.” This score includes compliance among several areas, including adhering to treatment times for patients with diabetes upon arrival to the hospital, promoting smoking cessation and treatment plans and specialized prescriptions for diabetic patients upon discharge.
“Our team is providing state-of-the-art care that saves lives and helps reduce the risk of long-term disability in patients who experience a stroke,” Dr. Kamsheh said.
Additional information about the Primary Stroke Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton can be found at UMShoreRegional.org/stroke.