Samaritan Hospitals Earn Stroke Awards July 26, 2019 Samaritan Health Services hospitals across Benton, Lincoln and Linn counties have earned Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke awards by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The awards recognize commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. Awards include: Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Target: Stroke Elite Honor RollSamaritan Albany General Hospital – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, and Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital – Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award To qualify for the awards hospitals must meet specific goals in comprehensive stroke care and meet quality measures developed to minimize 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. If given in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. “I want to commend all of our hospital staff and clinicians, as well as local EMTs for their dedication to providing coordinated stroke care that saves lives,” said Samaritan Stroke Services Coordinator Sarah Vincent, RN. “These awards represent a lot of hard work, focus and excellent patient care.” Samaritan Albany General Hospital was also named a Primary Stroke Center by accrediting agency DNV this year. Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center has been a Primary Stroke Center since 2012. The Samaritan Stroke Services team of specialists includes emergency room doctors, neurologists, nurses, speech language specialists and many others who work together to stop and reverse the damaging effects of a stroke. For more information about Samaritan Stroke Services, call 541-768-6737, or visit samhealth.org/Stroke. Learn more about the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke awards.
