Garnet Health Earns National American Heart Association Quality Awards

Garnet Health recently earned multiple American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke awards for proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care. 

The American Heart Association recognized both Garnet Health Medical Center and Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills with its Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus award, an advanced level of recognition acknowledging hospitals for their compliance with the Quality Measures within the Get With The Guidelines program. 

Additionally, Garnet Health Medical Center, home of the certified Primary Stroke Center, received Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite, which recognizes a hospital’s 60-minutes-or-less door-to-needle time for patients, and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, which aims to ensure that patients with type 2 diabetes receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized with cardiovascular disease or stroke.  

“At Garnet Health, we understand that reducing strokes in Orange and Sullivan counties means providing advanced, evidence-based diagnosis and treatment,” said Kavneet Kaur, MD, Medical Director Neurology Services, Garnet Health Doctors and Medical Director Stroke Program, Garnet Health. “Following the America Heart Association’s nationally recognized, research-based Get With the Guidelines program allows our care teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, so our patients receive the most appropriate and effective treatment; ultimately, enhancing overall care.”

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

“We are pleased to recognize Garnet Health Medical Center and Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills for their commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., Chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families, and communities.”

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability, and accelerating recovery times.

“Speed is crucial to minimizing a stroke’s damage to the brain,” Kaur said. “We encourage anyone experiencing signs of stroke to call 911 right away. Warning signs include: difficulty speaking, facial drooping, intense headache, and/or weakness or numbness on one side of your body.”
To learn more about Garnet Health visit garnethealth.org 

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About Garnet Health

Garnet Health is a New York State, not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Middletown, New York, approximately 60 miles northwest of New York City. It is the corporate parent of Garnet Health Medical Center, Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills, Garnet Health Doctors, Garnet Health Urgent Care, Garnet Health Foundation and Garnet Health Foundation – Catskills. Garnet Health is dedicated to developing specialty services, medical programs and needed healthcare services that allow residents to remain close to home to receive quality care.

Providing healthcare to approximately 450,000 residents in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, Garnet Health was designed to improve the quality, stability and efficiency of healthcare services in the mid-Hudson and Catskill region. Garnet Health provides services by more than 4,000 employed professionals and over 850 medical staff members. An academic affiliate of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Garnet Health retains compassionate professionals who continually strive toward the hospital’s mission to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional healthcare. To learn more about Garnet Health, visit garnethealth.org