Dignity Health Memorial Hospital Receives Honors from the American Heart Association for Continued Excellence in Heart & Stroke Care

Memorial Hospital awarded 'Get With The Guideline-Stroke Gold Plus Elite' for continued commitment to quality stroke care and the 'Mission: Lifeline® Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award' for treatment of heart attacks.

BAKERSFIELD, CA – June 19, 2018 – Dignity Health Memorial Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award as well as the Target: Stroke Elite Award.

These awards recognizes Memorial Hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Memorial Hospital earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. To qualify for the Target: Stroke Elite Award, Memorial Hospital met quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

Mission: Lifeline^® Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award is awarded to hospitals for implementing specific improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks; the initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.

Memorial Hospital earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility.

“Memorial Hospital is dedicated to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said Michele Shain, senior director of neuro and cardiac services “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care through Mission: Lifeline.”

About Get With The Guidelines^® and Mission: Lifeline 
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospitalbased quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001. The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit heart.org.

About Dignity Health Memorial Hospital
Memorial Hospital is a 426 bed acute care medical center offering a full range of services including the Sarvanand Heart and Brain Center, Grossman Burn Center, expanded maternity and family care, the Lauren Small Children’s Center, orthopedic services, wound care center, general/outpatient surgery, and 24-hour emergency care including the area’s only pediatric emergency room. Memorial Hospital is a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and is home to the Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House. Memorial Hospital is a member of Dignity Health and is a trusted community partner, serving residents of Bakersfield and Kern County with quality, compassionate care since 1956.