Wilson Health Earns Awards for Excellence in Stroke Care

Wilson Health has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® - Stroke Silver Plus and the Rural Stroke Bronze quality achievement awards for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

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.

“Wilson Health is committed to improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Dr. Sheriff Hefzy, Chief Medical Officer at Wilson Health. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in Sidney and Shelby County can experience longer, healthier lives.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the awards 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.

For efforts to optimize stroke care and eliminate rural health care outcome disparities, Wilson Health has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® - Stroke Rural Recognition Bronze award.

People that live in rural communities live an average of three years fewer than urban counterparts and have a 40% higher likelihood of developing heart disease and face a 30% increased risk for stroke mortality — a gap that has grown over the past two decades.[1]^,[2] Wilson Health is committed to changing that.

“We are proud that our team at Wilson Health is being recognized for the important work we do every day to improve the lives of people in the Sidney and Shelby County area who are affected by stroke, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and survival,” said Dr. Hefzy. “As a hospital in a rural community, we deal with characteristics, such as extended inter-facility transportation times, and limited staffing resources. We've made it a goal to make sure those hurdles do not affect the standard of care our stoke patients receive,” added Hefzy. “Rural communities deserve high quality stroke care. I'm proud of our team for their commitment to stroke care excellence and this achievement.”

The award recognizes hospitals for their efforts toward acute stroke care excellence demonstrated by composite score compliance to guideline-directed care for intravenous thrombolytic therapy, timely hospital inter-facility transfer, dysphagia screening, symptom timeline and deficit assessment documentation, emergency medical services communication, brain imaging and stroke expert consultation.

“Patients and health care professionals in the Sidney and Shelby County area face unique health care challenges and opportunities,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, co-author on the American Heart Association’s presidential advisory on rural health. “Wilson Health has furthered this important work to improve care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”

For more information, visit www.wilsonhealth.org.

[1] American Heart Association. American Heart Association issues call to action for addressing inequities in rural health. February 10, 2020. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/american-heart-association-issues-call-to-action-for-addressing-inequities-in-rural-health; American Heart Association. Public Health AmeriCorps to address health inequity in rural communities. April 6, 2022. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/public-health-americorps-to-address-health-inequity-in-rural-communities.

[2] Harrington R, et al. Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Circulation. 2020;141:e615–e644.