Holy Cross Germantown Hospital Receives 2017 American Heart Association Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award

Key members of the Holy Cross Germantown Hospital stroke team (pictured l-r): Shahid Rafiq, MD, medical director, Neurology and Stroke; Luciana Castro RN, Intensive Care Unit; Maricar Tanamor RN, Acute Care Unit; Vivienne Bassey-McCoy RN, Intensive Care Unit; Barbara Kline, Clinical education specialist/stroke coordinator; Blair Eig, MD, Chief Medical Officer; Andrea Tolbert, Program Development Specialist, Planning.

(Silver Spring, Maryland) - The Maryland-based Holy Cross Health System has once again been recognized as a national leader in healthcare and a local leader in stroke care. Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, one of the system's two hospitals, was recently awarded the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award. This award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to using the latest research-based guidelines and scientific evidence to ensure that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number 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, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

To receive the Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award, hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for at least 12 consecutive months and during the same period, achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures.

"Achieving Silver Plus recognition demonstrates Holy Cross Germantown Hospital's commitment to delivering advanced stroke treatments to patients quickly and safely," said Doug Ryder, president, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. "Our stroke program team is dedicated to delivering excellent care that saves lives and improves recovery time for stroke patients."

The Get With the Guidelines quality measures focus on appropriate use of guideline-based care for stroke patients, including aggressive use of medications such as clot-busting and anti-clotting drugs, blood thinners and cholesterol-reducing drugs, preventive action for deep vein thrombosis and smoking cessation counseling.

For more information about stroke care and stroke treatment options at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, contact Barbara Kline, stroke coordinator, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, at (301) 557-5929.

Recognizing the Signs of a Stroke

It is important to recognize the signs and get immediate medical attention. Speedy stroke diagnosis and treatment can help dramatically improve recovery from strokes, including a TIA (transient ischemic attack) or mini-stroke.

The Five Major Warning Signs of Stroke are:

• Numbness, weakness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding.
• Trouble seeing with one or both eyes.
• Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination.
• Severe, sudden onset of headache with no known cause.

Learn more about the risks and warning signs for stroke

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About Holy Cross Health

Holy Cross Health, founded in 1963 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, is a comprehensive Catholic health care delivery system that includes two hospitals and a network of community health centers in Montgomery County, Maryland. Holy Cross Hospital, the largest hospital in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, is located on the Kevin J. Sexton Campus of Holy Cross Health in Silver Spring. Holy Cross Germantown Hospital is the first hospital in the nation located on the campus of a community college. Holy Cross Health Network provides primary care at health centers located in Silver Spring, Aspen Hill, Gaithersburg, and Germantown and community education throughout Montgomery County.

About Get With The Guidelines^®

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 6 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.