Mercy Medical Center receives Get With The Guidelines Target: Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

American Heart Association Award recognizes Mercy Medical Center's commitment to quality stroke care

Merced, CA – September 17, 2019 – Mercy Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® Target: Stroke  Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the 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.

Mercy Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. 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. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

“Mercy Medical Center is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Melanie Morris, RN, Stroke Program Coordinator “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.” 

Mercy Medical Center additionally received the association’s Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet 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.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
  

About Mercy Medical Center
Mercy Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health and a part of CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the nation dedicated to advancing health for all and serving communities in 21 states. As an acute care hospital fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation and Healthcare Organizations, with 8 levels and 186 licensed beds, Mercy Medical Center is one of largest employers in Merced County and has been serving the community since 1873. Its inviting, open design provides a positive healing environment where patients enjoy the peace and comfort of private rooms and birthing suites. 

Mercy Medical Center is a certified Primary Stroke Center, has advanced certification for the total hip and knee replacements, and has an ACoS accredited oncology program at the Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center. Other services offered include a Center for Diabetes, Breastfeeding Education Center, Family Birth Center, Family Care Clinics, Health Education Center, Home Care, rehabilitation services, and an outpatient surgical and diagnostic center

About Get With The Guidelines^®
Get With The Guidelines^® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based 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. For more information, visit heart.org.