Baptist Medical Center Beaches earns national recognition for stroke care

Baptist Medical Center Beaches received the American Heart Association's GoldPlus Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Quality Achievement 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 Target: Stroke GoldPlus 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.

"Seconds matter when it comes to treating a stroke," said Joe Mitrick, FACHE, hospital president of Baptist Beaches. "Baptist Health Beaches is passionate about 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 Eric Sauvageau, MD, neurosurgeon and co-medical director, Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center. "As an Acute-Stroke-Ready Hospital we have protocols in place for rapid and effective care for patients, and excellent surgical and post-operative care. We have neurologists on call 24/7 and telestroke doctors available for immediate consult. If needed, we are able 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.

Baptist Beaches also received the Association's Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. To qualify for this award, 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 Nassau 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; and Baptist Nassau was awarded Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll recognition.