Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville receives highest honor for Stroke Gold Plus hospitals

Recognizing high levels of adherence to treatment guidelines and dedication to improving outcomes for stroke patients, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA) have designated Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville a Stroke Gold Plus Honor Roll Elite with Advanced Therapy Achievement Award hospital for the first time. Because the hospital previously achieved Gold Plus status and met criteria for the new advanced therapy award level, Baptist Jacksonville was selected to advance for continued excellence in stroke patient care, receiving the highest level of award possible for a Gold Plus hospital.

The award acknowledges Baptist Jacksonville’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. Baptist Health aims to ensure the highest quality of clinical care for all stroke patients.

“Baptist Health is dedicated to providing excellence in stroke care for our community,” said Michael A. Mayo, FACHE, hospital president of Baptist Jacksonville. “We are proud to receive national recognition for our Stroke & Cerebrovascular team’s efforts.”

Honor Role Elite with Advanced Therapy status is awarded to hospitals that display high levels of success following benchmarks outlined by the AHA’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke and Target: Stroke program. To earn this award, hospitals must:

• Achieve door to thrombolytic therapy treatment time under 60 minutes for 85% or more of patients undergoing acute stroke interventions.
• Achieve door to reperfusion device times within 90 minutes for at least 50% of patients for direct arrivals and within 60 minutes for transfers.

When it comes to stroke, every second, from the time a patient enters the hospital to the time a patient receives treatment, counts. According to the AHA, a typical patient loses around 2 million neurons each minute after suffering a stroke until treatment. Improved patient outcomes are directly linked to how quickly a patient receives care after experiencing stroke symptoms. Baptist Medical Center South, Baptist Medical Center Nassau and Baptist Medical Center Beaches were also recognized by the AHA and the ASA for their dedication to ensuring excellence in stroke care for all patients, marking the first time all adult hospital campuses received a Silver level award or higher.

“We strive to be at the forefront of new technology, research, clinical trials and treatment advancements in stroke care,” said Ricardo Hanel, MD, PhD, neurosurgeon and co-medical director of the Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center. “Thanks to these developments, our patients experience better long-term outcomes.”

The AHA’s Get With The Guidelines® program assigns hospitals a Bronze, Silver or Gold rating to reflect how long they have participated in the initiative. Plus levels are awarded to hospitals that demonstrate at least 75 percent treatment standard compliance for conditions such as stroke and heart disease.

For more information on diagnostics, care and door-to-treatment response times for stroke, visit the Baptist Health’s Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center page.