Samaritan Hospitals Recognized for Quality Stroke Care August 6, 2020 Two Samaritan Health Services hospitals in 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. The awards are: Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital – Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. 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 Alteplase (tPA). This is 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 EMS, for their dedication to providing coordinated stroke care in order to save brain tissue,” said Sarah Vincent, RN, Samaritan Stroke Services coordinator. “These awards represent a lot of teamwork, collaboration among different medical specialties and excellent patient care provided during a very critical and time sensitive process.” Samaritan Albany General Hospital was also named a Primary Stroke Center by accrediting agency DNV in 2019, and Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center has been a Primary Stroke Center since 2012. The Samaritan Stroke Services team of specialists work together from the beginning of a patient’s visit and follow their care throughout the patient’s time in the hospital. The team helps stop the stroke from evolving, to reduce the patient’s disabilities from the stroke. For more information about Samaritan Stroke Services, call 541-768-6737 or go online to samhealth.org/Stroke. Learn more about the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke awards.
