American Heart Association Presents Holy Cross Hospital with Gold Plus Award

Pictured left to right: Shashi Dudi, data abstractor, Performance Improvement, Holy Cross Hospital; Cris Carr, RN, director, Process Improvement, Holy Cross Hospital; Celia Guarino, RN, chief nursing officer, Holy Cross Hospital; Jeffrey Bell, director of Development, Heart Walk-GWR, American Heart/Stroke Association; Judith Rogers, president, Holy Cross Hospital; Andrew Barbash, MD, Neuroscience, Holy Cross Hospital; Sharon Harriston, RN, MS, ACNP, CCNS, nurse practitioner, Neuroscience, Holy Cross Hospital.

On Friday, April 26, 2013, Jeffrey Bell, director of Development, Heart Walk-GWR, American Heart/Stroke Association, presented Judith Rogers, president, Holy Cross Hospital, and members of the Holy Cross Hospital Stroke Program with the American Heart Association's Gold Plus Award.

The Gold Plus Award is an advanced level of recognition that acknowledges Holy Cross Hospital's compliance with the Quality Measures within the Get With The Guidelines^® Stroke Program. Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines.

“The care our patients receive at Holy Cross Hospital is our number one priority,” said Rogers. “That’s why we’re proud to be among the hospitals recently recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for our excellence in implementing the Get With The Guidelines program.”

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize hospitals for their success in using Get With The Guidelines^® to improve quality of care for heart disease and stroke patients. Holy Cross Hospital is listed as a Recognized Hospital for the Gold Plus designation on the American Heart Association's website, www.heart.org. In addition, Holy Cross Hospital was listed in the prestigious U.S.News & World Report Best Hospitals issue for this achievement.

“We’re honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for giving excellent patient care,” said Sharon Harriston, RN, MS, ACNP, CCNS, nurse practitioner, Neuroscience. “But what really gets us excited is seeing how we're affecting lives.”

Holy Cross Hospital cares for almost 500 stroke patients each year, and is designated a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, the national credentialing organization for hospitals, and by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems. The center is part of the hospital's comprehensive Neuroscience program.

Rogers added, “I’d like to congratulate our physicians, nurses and quality improvement professionals for their commitment to excellent care. Without them, this recognition would not be possible.”