When minutes matter: Baptist Health’s innovative approach to stroke care recognized

Baptist Health’s ongoing commitment to making high-quality stroke care readily available to communities in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia was recently recognized by the American Heart Association. Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, Baptist Medical Center South and Baptist Medical Center Nassau each received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines® -- Stroke Quality Achievement Award, which is the highest measure of quality awarded by the national organization.

Strokes, which occur when the vessels supplying blood and nutrients to the brain rupture or become blocked, are the No. 5 cause of death in the U.S. They are also the leading contributor to long-term disability in adults. It is estimated that, on average, someone has a stroke every 40 seconds. The American Heart Association recognition is awarded annually to institutions that demonstrate adherence to the association’s research-based guidelines on the most appropriate treatments for stroke. The Gold Plus achievement level recognizes performance of 24 consecutive months or more.

“We are immensely proud of the comprehensive stroke network we have built and nurtured over the past decade,” said Michael A. Mayo, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Baptist Health. “These awards reflect our ongoing commitment to following best practices as we’ve built a network of care that allows patients to access varying levels of stroke care depending on their specific needs.”

A decade of dedication

These awards from the American Heart Association come as the Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center at Baptist Jacksonville celebrates its 10th year serving the community, bringing the latest expertise, world-renowned physicians and teams, best practices and innovative clinical trials to Northeast Florida. When the Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center opened 10 years ago, it filled a critical need in the region for access to comprehensive stroke care closer to home. Prior to this, patients needed to travel outside of the community for advanced stroke treatments, costing hours that are critical in minimizing the long-term impacts of a stroke.

Right care, right place, right time

Ten years later, Baptist Health has expanded its reach of stroke care to 16 hospitals and satellite emergency centers via the TeleStroke Program, which virtually connects physicians and health care professionals to the stroke experts at the Baptist Health Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center. This initiative benefits communities in the greater Jacksonville area as well as those in Northeast Florida and South Central Georgia and provides smaller hospitals or rural areas with 24/7 access to the experts at Baptist Jacksonville’s Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center. This allows for quicker diagnosis and treatment, which ultimately reduces disability and saves lives.

“Early detection and prompt treatment of stroke are key to improving survival rates, minimizing long-term disabilities and speeding up recovery times,” said Ricardo Hanel, MD, PhD, neurosurgeon and co-medical director of the Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center. “Our extensive physical and virtual stroke network allows us to offer patients the best possible outcomes.”

In addition to the Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines® -- Stroke Quality Achievement Award, the American Heart Association also presented Baptist Health’s hospitals with the following honors:

• Baptist Jacksonville received the Target: Stroke℠ Honor Roll Elite Plus and Advanced Therapy awards. These honors signify the hospital has met specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at Baptist Jacksonville and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke.
• All five adult hospitals in the health system--Baptist Jacksonville, Baptist South, Baptist Nassau, Baptist Medical Center Beaches and Baptist Medical Center Clay – received the Target: Type 2 Diabetes℠ Honor Roll award. This honor aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who may be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized because of a stroke.
• Baptist Beaches and Baptist Clay received the Silver Plus Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Quality Achievement Award. This advanced level of recognition signifies a hospital’s adherence to the American Heart Association’s quality measure guidelines for the treatment of strokes for 12 consecutive months.

In addition to the Get with the Guidelines awards, Baptist Jacksonville is recognized as the region’s only Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, which is the “gold standard” of stroke certifications.