St. Luke's Health-Brazosport Hospital achieves national acclaim for its endeavors in enhancing stroke treatment

The American Heart Association Presents Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Award for Commitment to Prioritizing Quality Care for Stroke Patients

HOUSTON, TX (Aug. 30, 2021) – St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Silver Plus Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award for their 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.

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist healthcare professionals to provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients.

“St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping our patients have the best possible chance of survival and after a stroke,” said Steven Foster, president, St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital. “Get With The Guidelines-Stroke makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for stroke patients.”

Each year program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, participants also provide education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

“We are pleased to recognize St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”

St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital also received the Association’s Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll Elite award. 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 ischemic stroke. 

About St. Luke’s Health Brazosport Hospital

St. Luke’s Health–Brazosport Hospital is located on a beautiful, 25-acre campus in Lake Jackson, Texas. Offering state-of-the-art diagnostic and comprehensive treatment services, our hospital is home to a 154-bed patient tower, level III trauma center, advanced cardiac care center, and full-service, multidisciplinary cancer center. Our team consists of over 100 board-certified physicians and nearly 600 highly skilled employees to meet our patients’ medical needs. South Brazoria County’s premier healthcare system, St. Luke’s Health–Brazosport Hospital is dedicated to providing quality care with compassion for the communities we serve.

About Get With The Guidelines^®

Get With The Guidelines^® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 9 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org/quality.