Waterbury Hospital was recently awarded Advanced Certification as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. The certification is valid through April 2021 and is based on a review of compliance with national standards, clinical guidelines and outcomes of care.
This month, Waterbury Hospital was also awarded the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. This award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines developed from the latest scientific evidence.
Waterbury Hospital earned the Get With the Guidelines® 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 up recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. To qualify for this recognition, the hospital also had to meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-busting medication called tissue plasimogen activator, or tPA. TPA is currently the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.
“The Joint Commission stroke certification and Get With the Guidelines® Stroke award are a testament to the dedication of our doctors, nurses and staff to providing outstanding stroke care for our patients,” said President and CEO Peter Adamo.
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult 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.
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.
About Waterbury HEALTH
Waterbury HEALTH which includes Waterbury Hospital, Alliance Medical Group, Cardiology Associates, VNA Health at Home, Greater Waterbury Imaging Center and Access Rehab Centers, offers comprehensive healthcare services including primary care, emergency and acute care, and home healthcare. Serving Waterbury and 11 surrounding communities in Western Connecticut, Waterbury HEALTH is a member of Prospect Medical Holdings Inc., a national family of hospitals and healthcare networks.