PARMA, Ohio The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association presented University Hospitals Parma Medical Center with the Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the associations.
The hospital's community outreach, and a free program planned for May 27 to educate the public on stroke signs, symptoms and treatment, are among the reasons it received the award.
"We take a lot of pride in our continued dedication to the community, and the excellent care we can provide," said Dr. Austin Wellock, medical director of the Emergency Department and director of the stroke program.
Collaboration between EMS, the Emergency Department and the stroke team results in prompt diagnosis and effective treatment of stroke patients, hospital officials said.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association said stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every four minutes. Also, 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke annually.
Get with the Guidelines is a hospital-based quality improvement program from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines for stroke treatment. Its goals are saving lives and hastening recovery.
The guidelines help the hospital staff to implement prevention measures, including educating stroke patients to manage risk factors and to be aware of warning signs for stroke, as well as ensuring they take their medications properly.
Noreen Chase, a nurse and the hospital's stroke program coordinator, is required to conduct two community education sessions each year. It presents more than 10 annually.
"This award underscores UH Parma Medical Center's commitment to our patients, to administer the highest possible level of care right here in the community," Chase said.
The next program will be 6:30-7:30 p.m. May 27, during Stroke Awareness Month. Chase will conduct a free stroke awareness presentation covering the signs, symptoms, treatment and prevention of the leading cause of disability among Americans. The program will be at the UH Parma Medical Center Health Education Center, 7300 State Road. Call 440-743-4900 to register.
Read the original here:
Parma Medical Center honored for stroke treatment efforts