Four ThedaCare hospitals have received American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke quality achievement awards for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients have access to the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, which can lead to more lives saved and potentially reduced disability.
The following ThedaCare hospitals earned recognitions:
- ThedaCare Medical Center–Berlin: Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Silver Plus, Rural Stroke Bronze and Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- ThedaCare Medical Center–New London: Get With The Guidelines® – Rural Stroke Silver and Bronze
- ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah: Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus, Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
- ThedaCare Medical Center–Waupaca: Get With The Guidelines® – Rural Stroke Bronze
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. 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.
“By enhancing coordinated stroke care, ThedaCare can live our mission of improving the health and well-being of the communities,” said Dr. Michael Hooker, ThedaCare Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Acute Care. “It is critical that our community members have access to certified stroke care, and higher levels of care when needed. And through recognitions such as these from the American Heart Association, we can ensure we are providing high-quality care for those living in the area.”
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 ThedaCare 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.”
All ThedaCare Hospitals Earn Stroke Care Certifications
Seven ThedaCare hospitals serving Northeast and Central Wisconsin have all received stroke care accreditations from DNV GL – Healthcare.
The highest level of stroke care within the ThedaCare system can be found at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah, which has been recertified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. ThedaCare was awarded initial certification in 2019.
The DNV GL – Healthcare Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification is based on standards set forth by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association, and affirms that the medical center addresses the full spectrum of stroke care – diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and education – and establishes clear metrics to evaluate outcomes.
ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah has a long history of providing stroke care for the communities in Northeast and Central Wisconsin. A Comprehensive Stroke Center has the specialists, infrastructure and resources needed to care for the most severe stroke patient.
The Comprehensive Stroke Center at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah has partnerships with first responders and rural hospitals, and a 24-hour acute care to provide the best care. The stroke team also provides virtual consultation to patients at ThedaCare Critical Access Hospitals to determine the correct action of care that is needed.
In addition to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah’s Comprehensive Stroke Center, ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton has also been accredited as a Primary Stroke Center. According to DNV GL – Healthcare, this certification is earned by hospitals which has the necessary staffing, infrastructure and programs to stabilize and treat most emergent stroke patients. A Primary Stroke Center can also provide treatment to a broader range of stroke conditions and is able to provide some acute therapies, as well as admit patients to a designated stroke unit or to beds, specifically assigned for stroke care. It can also serve as a resource center for other facilities in the region, including being a main transfer site for stabilized patients.
Five ThedaCare Critical Access hospitals, including ThedaCare Medical Center-Berlin, ThedaCare Medical Center-New London, ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano, ThedaCare Medical Center-Waupaca and ThedaCare Medical Center-Wild Rose, have all earned Acute Stroke Ready certifications also from DNV GL – Healthcare. This certification allows smaller and rural hospitals to demonstrate excellence by complying with standards of care for the initial treatment of stroke patients, when rapid action and proper medications can save lives and limit the long-term disabling effects of strokes. Each of the hospitals also have an on-site Stroke Program Coordinator to ensure teams have the tools, resources and knowledge they need to continue to care for patients suffering from a stroke.
These hospitals are an important part of ThedaCare’s Stroke Program. The hospitals are equipped to evaluate, stabilize and provide emergency care to patients with acute stroke symptoms. An Acute Stroke Ready hospital has the infrastructure and capability to care for acute stroke, including team members and resources able to diagnose, stabilize, treat, and transfer stroke patients.
Additional Recognitions
ThedaCare Medical Center–Berlin and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center–Neenah also received additional recognitions from the American Heart Association.
Both hospitals 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.
In addition, ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award by meeting specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke.
