Samaritan Hospitals Earn National Stroke Care Awards July 30, 2025 All five Samaritan hospitals in Benton, Lincoln and Linn counties have earned Get With The Guidelines-Stroke awards by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. The awards recognize a commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. The awards are:Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Samaritan Albany General Hospital – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll, Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, and Rural Stroke Bronze. Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Rural Stroke Silver. Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, and Rural Stroke Silver. “Our continued recognition reflects our hospital system’s steadfast commitment to delivering comprehensive, evidence-based stroke care,” said Stephanie Hilpert, RN, Samaritan Stroke Program coordinator. “It’s a testament to the relentless dedication of our multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, therapists and support staff. They strive each day to improve patient outcomes and advance the standard of care through collaboration, innovation and clinical excellence.”To qualify for the awards, hospitals must meet specific goals in comprehensive stroke care and quality measures developed to minimize the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital until treatment with the clot-busting tissue plasminogen activator, or tenecteplase. When given within the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, this drug has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability. Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite is when a hospital achieves door-to-needle time within 60 minutes for at least 85% of applicable patients. Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll aims to ensure patients with type 2 diabetes receive the most current, evidence-based care when hospitalized with a stroke. To bring attention to this critical high-risk population, the American Heart Association has established the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognition opportunity for hospital participants of Get With The Guidelines-Stroke. Rural Stroke is a recognition for rural hospitals based on a unique set of performance metrics that reflect the distinct care dynamics in rural settings.“The fact that this is a voluntary program makes it all the more meaningful to be recognized. It shows that we are choosing to hold ourselves to a higher standard in stroke care,” Hilpert said. “Being honored again this year shows our teams have once again risen to the challenge. It is a powerful affirmation of our shared approach and a deep commitment to serving our community that continues to drive us forward.” Samaritan Albany General Hospital has been a Primary Stroke Center since 2019 and Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center has been a Primary Stroke Center since 2012. Primary Stroke Centers are hospitals equipped to rapidly diagnose and treat stroke patients, particularly those experiencing ischemic strokes, which are caused by blood clots. Watch these Samaritan videos to learn more about strokes. Find out more about the Get With The Guidelines program.
