San Jacinto Receives Stroke Achievement Award
Sharon McFarlin, Interim Director of the San Jacinto Methodist Hospital Emergency Department; Kathy Trevino, Manager 2 West San Jacinto Methodist Hospital; Hattie Drake, Project Manager Performance Improvement San Jacinto Methodist Hospital; and Donna Gares, CEO and President of San Jacinto Methodist Hospital, accept the American Stroke Association's Get With The GuidelinesSM Bronze Performance Achievement Award from Peggy Smith, Director Quality Improvement Initiatives American Heart Association.
Robert Bain, Director Performance Improvement, San Jacinto Methodist Hospital; Nathalie Dorsett, Manager Emergency Department, San Jacinto Methodist Hospital; and Jane DeStefano, CNO, San Jacinto Methodist Hospital, were there to accept the award as well.
San Jacinto Methodist Hospital has received the American Stroke Association's Get With The GuidelinesSM Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes San Jacinto Methodist Hospital's commitment to and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations. "When a stroke occurs, time is of the essence. Essentially, time lost is brain lost, and the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award addresses the critical element of time," says Donna Gares, CEO and President of San Jacinto Methodist Hospital. The hospital has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.To receive the Award, San Jacinto Methodist Hospital consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the Get With The Guidelines Stroke program for 90 days. These include aggressive use of medications such as tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation. The 90-day evaluation period is the first in an ongoing self-evaluation by the hospital to continually reach the 85 percent compliance needed to sustain this award. "The American Stroke Association commends San Jacinto Methodist Hospital for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols," says Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., Vice-Chair of the national Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Vice-Chair of the Neurology Department and Director of Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients." Get With The Guidelines Stroke uses the teachable moment – the time soon after a patient has had a stroke – when they are most likely to listen to and follow their healthcare professionals' guidance. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second stroke. Through Get With The Guidelines, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge, based on patients' risk profiles. The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and are available in English and Spanish. In addition, the Get With The Guidelines Patient Management Tool provides up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point of care.  Stroke Care Program Reaccredited as a Stroke Center by The Joint Commission
San Jacinto Methodist Hospital has once again earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers. The hospital received this distinction in 2007 and after a recent on-site review, received this distinction once again. This accreditation is valid for another two years. |
