Valley Health System Hospitals Earn Stroke Quality Achievement Award Honors from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Thursday, August 16, 2018
Valley Health System Hospitals Earn Stroke Quality Achievement Award Honors  from the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association

The hospitals of The Valley Health System have all received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospitals’ commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

“Our stroke coordinators and emergency teams have worked tirelessly to improve both the response to and outcomes of stroke care in southern Nevada,” said Karla Perez, Regional Vice President of The Valley Health System. “According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. It’s also a leading cause of long-term disability, which can be devastating to a person’s quality of life.”

Each hospital earned its award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, scheduling a follow-up visit, and care transition interventions.

Five hospitals also received the association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll awards. 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 stroke.

  • Valley Hospital earned the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Target Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll award.
  • Centennial Hills, Desert Springs and Spring Valley hospitals received Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll award.
  • Summerlin Hospital received the Gold Plus Achievement Award and the Target Stroke Honor Roll award.
  • Henderson Hospital, which opened in October 2016, earned its first award with a Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Learn more about the stroke care in the Valley Health System >