The American Heart Association presents Get With The Guidelines® - GoldPlus award for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — September 20, 2024—Four RWJBarnabas Health facilities have achieved the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability. These facilities include Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Jersey City Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset.
Stroke is the fifth cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. It occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times.
Get With The Guidelines® puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
Each year, program participants voluntarily submit program quality data for the award that demonstrates their organization has committed to providing quality outcomes and process improvement for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines® participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
“RWJBarnabas Health is committed to providing patients with evidence-based stroke care to deliver the best chance at surviving a stroke and achieving a complete recovery,” says Andy Anderson, MD, Chief Medical and Quality Officer, RWJBarnabas Health. “Get With The Guidelines® demonstrates our commitment to continuous quality improvement and dedication to rigorous processes that are proven to yield the best outcomes against a condition where seconds can determine a person’s survival and quality of life post-stroke.”
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize RWJBarnabas Health for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite and Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Advanced Therapy awards. The latter required Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to meet specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award.
Jersey City Medical Center was awarded the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll awards.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset also received the American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll awards.
The American Heart Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite award also went to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.
Monmouth Medical Center also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering eight counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson
University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, three acute care children’s hospitals, Children’s Specialized Hospital with a network of outpatient pediatric rehabilitation centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging centers and two accountable care organizations.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 41,000 employees and 9,000 physicians– and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health launched an affiliation with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers' education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org.
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 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 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
CONTACT:
Carrie Cristello
Carrie.Cristello@RWJBH.org