Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Twin Cities Community Hospital both received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. This award recognizes the hospitals’ commitments to leadership in stroke care in San Luis Obispo County and success in ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment.
Sierra Vista and Twin Cities 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. The guidelines include aggressive use of medications such as clot-busting and anti-clotting drugs, blood thinners and cholesterol-reducing drugs, preventive action for deep vein thrombosis and smoking cessation counseling.
“Sierra Vista and Twin Cities are both 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 Mark Lisa, CEO of Sierra Vista and Twin Cities. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidence-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”
Both Sierra Vista and Twin Cities were the first two hospitals in San Luis Obispo County to be accredited as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.
“We are pleased to recognize Sierra Vista and Twin Cities for their commitments to stroke care,” said Eric E. Smith, M.D., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”
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 Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center
As the largest hospital in San Luis Obispo County, Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center strives to produce optimal outcomes and exceptional patient experiences to the community it serves. With 164 beds, Sierra Vista puts advanced technology into the hands of experienced medical specialists to deliver quality healthcare. High-level services include neurosurgery, orthopedics, obstetrics, perinatology (high-risk pregnancy), neonatology (high-risk newborn care), pediatrics, cancer care and trauma. Sierra Vista houses the largest Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between Santa Barbara and Salinas, the only dedicated pediatric unit in San Luis Obispo County and serves as the county’s designated trauma center. Sierra Vista is fully accredited by The Joint Commission and has been serving the community since 1959.
About Twin Cities Community Hospital
Twin Cities Community Hospital, a 122-bed acute care hospital, has been caring for the communities of Northern San Luis Obispo County since 1977. With a medical staff of more than 200 physicians and 400 caregivers and support staff, the hospital specializes in emergency care, obstetrics, orthopedics and a broad array of medical, surgical and outpatient services. Twin Cities Community Hospital earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® with distinction for its knee replacement program. In addition, the hospital is recognized as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery. Baby-Friendly USA designated Twin Cities Community Hospital as an internationally recognized Baby-Friendly birth facility. The hospital also reports one of the lowest Cesarean section rates in the State of California.
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.