Ochsner Rush recognized for stroke care for patients

Published 10:15 am Friday, August 16, 2024

Ochsner Rush Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award for its dedication to providing high quality stroke care for its patients.

The Stroke Gold Plus level is the most advanced level of recognition awarded by the American Heart Association, which includes the American Stroke Association. The distinction means Ochsner Rush is working to ensure stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized and research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives being saved and less disability resulting from strokes.

With heart disease and stroke the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively, early recognition and proven treatment is essential for ensuring the best outcome for patients.

“Care for stroke and cardiac events require immediate and precise intervention to save lives and enhance outcomes. At Ochsner Health, our teams understand that every second counts,” said Dr. Robert Hart, chief physician executive of Ochsner Health and president of Ochsner Clinic. “Utilizing the latest research-based guidelines, we work tirelessly to deliver lifesaving treatments to our patients. This recognition serves as a testament to the dedication, resilience and unwavering commitment of our team members to provide exceptional care to our community.”

Each year, the American Heart Association recognizes hospitals across the country for consistently following up-to-date, research-based guidelines to ensure all patients have access to lifesaving care.

Get With The Guidelines award categories cover treatment for stroke, chest pain, cardiac arrest, heart failure, ST-elevation myocardial infarction heart attack, Type 2 diabetes and atrial fibrillation. Award levels range from bronze to gold plus status, depending on the number of requirements met for each designation.

This year’s Gold Plus achievement earned by Ochsner Rush comes with the added recognition level of Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite.

Ochsner Rush is one of 12 Ochsner Health owned and affiliated hospitals, among more than 3,000 medical facilities nationwide, that participate in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines and other programs to improve outcomes for Americans who experience heart disease or stroke. Altogether, nine of those hospitals earned Stroke Gold Plus achievement with the others receiving the Stroke Silver Plus achievement award.