UH Cleveland Medical Center First Hospital in Ohio to Attain American Heart Association’s All Four Highest Awards for Stroke Care

Recognition of comprehensive, research-based care, especially for patients with Type 2 diabetes

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center has become the first hospital in Ohio to attain the American Heart Association’s all four highest awards for stroke care.

The four 2020 awards are:

• Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus
• Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus
• Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

“These awards speak to the excellence of the stroke program at UH.  Under the guidance of Drs. Anthony Furlan and Cathy Sila, the stroke program has grown and expanded to its current state as a world-class program.  These awards reflect the hard work of the past decade of all members of the UH stroke team,” said Nicholas Bambakidis, MD, Vice President and Director, UH Neurological Institute.

“We are extremely proud to receive this recognition from the American Heart Association and particularly proud that we are the first and only hospital in Ohio to have achieved this designation,” said Cathy Sila, MD, Chair of the Department of Neurology at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Director of the UH System Stroke Program. “We have worked diligently over the past 12 years to provide the highest levels of stroke care and education to the residents of Northeast Ohio. Now, more than ever during this COVID pandemic, we need to remember that stroke is an emergency, calling 9-1-1 is the best first step to a good outcome, and seeing your doctor for preventive medical care is the best way to avoid a stroke.”

These four levels of awards recognize different aspects of stroke care. Relatively new to the list is the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, which aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized with stroke.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award recognizes commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Target: Stroke Honor Roll-Elite Plus refers to how quickly an IV of the stroke-clot buster tPA is administered. Door-to-needle times within 45 minutes for at least 75 percent of applicable patients and door-to-needle times within 30 minutes for at least 50 percent of applicable patients.

Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy refers to rapid diagnosis and treatment of severe stroke patients requiring a thrombectomy procedure. Door-to-device times in at least 50 percent of applicable patients within 90 minutes for direct arriving and within 60 minutes for transfers. A thrombectomy removes a blockage from a blood vessel causing the stroke.

UH Cleveland Medical Center was also the first hospital in Northeast Ohio to achieve The Joint Commission’s rigorous standards for Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. This certification showcases its ability to treat the most complex stroke cases.

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 Get With The Guidelines®

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s 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 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.

UH News Release | Media Relations Contact: George Stamatis | 216-844-3667 | George.Stamatis@UHhospitals.org