MUMC Earns Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for Stroke Care

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The GuidelinesSM Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award has been awarded to Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC). End Quote

Savannah, GA (1888PressRelease) February 28, 2012 - Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC) received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The GuidelinesSM Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes MUMC's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to evidence-based standards and recommendations.

The Memorial Stroke program includes nationally recognized treatment services, rehabilitation, community education, and a telemedicine component. The stroke team includes neurologists, emergency physicians, and specially trained nurses available 24 hours a day for rapid stroke recognition and treatment.

"With a stroke, time lost is brain lost. At Memorial Stroke, we are always equipped to provide the necessary brain scans, patient evaluations, and clot-busting medications to stop a stroke as quickly as possible. This award recognizes our commitment to rapid, accurate treatment," said Jay U. Howington, M.D., neurosurgeon, neuro-interventionalist, and medical director of Memorial Stroke.

"If a patient is diagnosed with a stroke, we offer a comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation process that stresses education and lifestyle improvements. Our goal is to help our patients quickly return to a productive and fulfilling life," said Joel Greenberg, M.D., co-medical director of Memorial Stroke.

To receive the GWTG-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, MUMC achieved 85 percent or higher with all the requirements in the GWTG-Stroke program for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals. Memorial also achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with 5 of the 9 GWTG Stroke Quality Measures, which are reporting initiatives to measure quality of care. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol-reducing drugs, and smoking cessation.

According to the American Heart Association, each year approximately 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke. That means that on average, every 40 seconds somebody in the U.S. suffers a stroke. It's the fourth leading cause of death in our country.

To learn more about the Memorial Stroke program, visit stroke.memorialhealth.com.
Memorial University Medical Center is a two-state healthcare organization serving a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. The system includes its flagship hospital, a 530-bed academic medical center; Memorial primary and specialty physician networks; a major medical education program; business and industry services; and Nurse One, a 24-hour call center. To learn more, visit www.memorialhealth.com. You can follow us at facebook.com/memorialhealth, twitter.com/mymemorial, and youtube.com/memorialhealth.

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