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 OakBend Receives American Stroke Association's Achievement Award
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RICHMOND, TX
- (February 15, 2006) - OakBend Medical Center recently received the
American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Stroke
(GWTG-Stroke) Initial Performance Achievement Award. The award
recognizes OakBend Medical Center’s commitment and success in
implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke
patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards
and recommendations.
“With
a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the GWTG–Stroke initial
performance achievement award addresses the important element of time,”
said Mary Lou Alonso RN, BS, Stroke Coordinator. OakBend Medical Center
has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment
of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes
being equipped 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide brain
imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.
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To receive the award, OakBend Medical Center consistently complied for 90-days with the requirements in the GWTG–Stroke program.
These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, anti-thrombotics,
anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs,
and smoking cessation. The 90-day evaluation period is the first in an
ongoing self-evaluation by the hospital to continually reach the 85
percent compliance level needed to sustain this award.
“The
American Stroke Association commends OakBend Medical Center for its
success in implementing standards of care and protocols,” said Lee H.
Schwamm, M.D., National GWTG Steering Committee Member and Director of
Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “The
full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention
recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives
and improving outcomes of stroke patients.”
GWTG-Stroke uses
the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a patient has had an acute
event, when they are most likely to listen to and follow their
healthcare professionals’ guidance. Studies demonstrate that patients
who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the
hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke. Through
GWTG–Stroke, customized patient education materials are made available
at the point of discharge, based on patients’ individual risk profiles.
The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and
are available in English and Spanish. In addition, the Patient
Management Tool provides access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke
science at the point of care.
“The time is right for Oakbend
Medical Center to be focused on improving the quality of stroke care by
implementing GWTG– Stroke. The number of acute ischemic stroke patients
eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to
increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population,” said Julie
Detomo, Vice President of Nursing. Each year, about 700,000 people
suffer a stroke — 500,000 are first attacks and 200,000 are recurrent.
Of stroke survivors, 22 percent of men and 25 percent of women die
within a year, and for those aged 65 and older, the percentage is even
higher. In 1999, $3.4 billion was paid to Medicare beneficiaries
discharged from short-stay hospitals for stroke. Americans are
estimated to pay about $56.8 billion in 2005 for stroke-related medical
costs and disability.
The American Stroke Association offers
a wide array of programs, products and services, from patient education
materials to scientific statements with cutting-edge information for
healthcare professionals. The organization, a division of the American
Heart Association, is a committed leader in providing credible stroke
information to individuals and healthcare providers. For more
information about the American Stroke Association or its initiatives,
visit StrokeAssociation.org or call 1-888-4-STROKE.
For further information contact: Tracey J. Shaw, VP, Marketing & Development
(281 238 7821) |
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