Washington Hospital Receives Stroke Gold Plus & Target Stroke Honor Roll Awards

Fremont, Calif., July 15, 2013- At last week’s Washington Township Health Care District Board Meeting, Washington Hospital’s Stroke Program was recognized as a recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Target Stroke Honor Roll Award for improving stroke care. The awards, presented by an American Heart Association (AHA) representative, acknowledge the hospital’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.

To receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, Washington Hospital attained at least 85 percent compliance on all Get With The Guidelines®- Stroke Quality Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive years and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Measures.

Additionally, Washington Hospital was also recognized as a recipient of the AHA’s Target Stroke Honor Roll. This award recognizes hospitals that treat acute ischemic stroke in the most effective way possible using evidence-based guidelines. The goal is a door-to-needle time within 60 minutes in at least 50 percent of ischemic stroke patients treated with IV Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA), which is known as the “clot busting” medication. This means that the patient receives this important, life-saving intervention within 60 minutes of arrival to the hospital. To be eligible for the Target Stroke Honor Roll Award, the hospital must currently hold Gold, Silver or Bronze performance achievement status with Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke and have door-to-needle times within 60 minutes.

“Washington Hospital works hard to ensure that patients receive the very best care possible when they come to the hospital, and we are extremely honored to receive these two significant distinctions in the clinical field of stroke care,” said Nancy Farber, Washington Hospital Healthcare System CEO. “The ability to provide key treatments in a timely manner means a greater possibility for improved outcomes for our patients.”

According to the National Stroke Association, despite the fact that stroke is the #4 cause of death and the #1 cause of serious, long-term disability, it is 80 percent preventable by putting standard prevention measures into place. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Washington Hospital is a certified Stroke Center designated by the County EMS Agency. As a certified Primary Stroke Center, Washington Hospital’s Stroke Team rapidly treats stroke to reduce disability and save lives.

“Our skilled and coordinated response to acute ischemic stroke in the Emergency Department is improving the outcomes in patients with strokes,” said Ash Jain, M.D., Stroke Program Medical Director. “We have a stroke program at Washington Hospital that is second to none, and we will continue to refine our approach to treating stroke patients by using best known practices, the latest technology and coordinating the available expertise to achieve the best results.”

About Washington Township Health Care District: Washington Township Health Care District is governed by an elected board of directors. Unlike a municipal or county hospital, Washington Hospital’s operating expenses, research, community programs, and employee salaries are funded by revenues generated through providing patient and other health care services. Washington Hospital Healthcare System includes a 389-bed acute-care hospital; the Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute; The Gamma Knife® Center; Washington Radiation Oncology Center; Washington Outpatient Surgery Center; Washington Outpatient Rehabilitation Center; Washington Interventional Center; Institute for Joint Restoration and Research; the Institute for Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery; and Washington West, a complex which houses Washington Women’s Center, Outpatient Imaging Center, Sandy Amos R.N. Infusion Center, Washington Urgent Care and additional outpatient hospital services and administrative facilities.