Antelope Valley Medical Center is Nationally Recognized for its Commitment to Providing High-Quality Stroke Care
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The American Heart Association presents Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus award for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care.
(LANCASTER, CA – July 23, 2024) – Antelope Valley Medical Center (AVMC) has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke GoldPlusquality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Antelope Valley Medical Center for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
AVMC also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Elite Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with thrombolytic therapy.
In addition, Antelope Valley Medical Center received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.
AVMC has also met specific scientific guidelines as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.
For more information about Antelope Valley Medical Center’s Stroke program, please visit www.avmc.org/stroke.
About Antelope Valley Medical Center
Antelope Valley Medical Center (AVMC), the only full-service, acute-care hospital located in Lancaster, CA. AVMC has been delivering exceptional care to the community since 1955. It offers the region’s only Level II Trauma Center, Pediatric unit, Level IIIB NICU, Inpatient Behavioral Health Department, Labor and Delivery, Accredited Chest Pain Center/STEMI Receiving Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center, a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center, and a Thrombectomy Capable Center. More information is available at www.avmc.org or by calling (661) 949-5000. Follow us @avmedicalcenter
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 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 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
