Whittier hospital earns stroke award

WHITTIER - PIH Health Hospital - Whittier has received the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association's "Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award" for the third consecutive year, recognizing the hospital's "commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines."To receive the award, PIH Health achieved 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures, which are reporting initiatives to measure quality of care. In addition to the Get With The Guideline-Stroke award, PIH Health Hospital - Whittier has also been recognized as a recipient of the association's Target: Stroke Honor Roll, for improving stroke care. Hospitals that have earned a Target: Stroke Honor Roll designation are recognized for meeting a specific Get With The Guidelines achievement level in addition to achieving IV rt-PA door-to-needle times 60 minutes or less in 50% or more of applicable acute ischemic stroke patients (minimum of six) during one calendar quarter. This is a new honor for the Whittier hospital campus. According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. All people should know the various signs of stroke so that they can help others in a time of need. The acronym "FAST" stands for face, arms, speech, and time. Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange? Time: If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.

********** Published: Nov. 28, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 33