Baptist Medical Center Nassau earns national recognition for stroke care

Baptist Medical Center Nassau received the American Heart Association's GoldPlus Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award and the Target: Stroke^SM  Elite Honor award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. 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. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.

To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient's arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

"Every second matters when treating a stroke," said Ed Hubel, FACHE, hospital president of Baptist Nassau. "The team members at Baptist Nassau are passionate and committed to providing excellence in stroke care in our community, and we are honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping patients."

"Not all hospitals are equal when it comes to stroke treatment," said Amin Nima Aghaebrahim, MD, interventional neurologist, primary stroke director, Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center. "Baptist Nassau is an Acute-Stroke-Ready Hospital with protocols in place for rapid and effective care for patients, along with excellent surgical and post-operative care. We have neurologists on call 24/7 and Telestroke doctors available for immediate consult. If needed, we have the ability to transfer patients to Baptist Health's Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center at Baptist Jacksonville. All of this helps patients experience better long-term outcomes."

Baptist Health's Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center in Jacksonville is the regional epicenter for advanced diagnostics and treatments for strokes, brain aneurysms and other cerebrovascular conditions. It offers patients dedicated facilities for neurological care, a Neurointensive Care Unit dedicated solely to providing critical care for patients with neurological and neurosurgical issues, and a specialized emergency department designed for neurological emergencies.

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist health care professionals provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients. Each year program participants apply for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Baptist Health also provides education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

Baptist Nassau also received the Association's Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. To qualify for the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the "Overall Diabetes Cardiovascular Initiative Composite Score."

Baptist Jacksonville, Baptist Beaches and Baptist South also received Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines-Stroke and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll awards from the American Heart Association. In addition, Baptist Jacksonville was awarded Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll recognition.