Tidelands Health hospitals again earn national recognition for high-quality stroke care

Tidelands Health hospitals have again earned national recognition for a commitment to providing high-quality care and treatment for patients experiencing or recovering from a stroke.

Both Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital and Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital received the American Heart Association’s 2024 Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award.

The award recognizes the hospitals’ commitment to providing stroke care and treatment that meets nationally accepted, evidence-based guidelines. In addition to following treatment guidelines, the hospitals educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

“Our Tidelands Health care team uses guidelines and resources, including the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines program, to provide high-quality, timely care to patients showing signs of a stroke,” said Samantha Taylor, stroke program coordinator at Tidelands Health.  “This recognition from the American Heart Association is a testament to our efforts and a reminder to patients that our medical professionals adhere to stroke care standards that help support improved outcomes and quality of life for patients.”

Both hospitals were recognized for their stroke care on multiple levels. Tidelands Waccamaw earned Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite, and Tidelands Georgetown earned Target: Stroke Honor Roll for applying the latest, evidence-based treatment guidelines to improve outcomes, including meeting specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with a clot-buster.

In addition, Tidelands Georgetown and Tidelands Waccamaw earned recognition in stroke care for Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll for helping patients with Type 2 diabetes – who might be at higher risk for complications – receive up-to-date, evidence-based care for a stroke.

Tidelands Georgetown also earned Get With The Guidelines – Rural Stroke Silver recognition for its acute stroke care efforts, including helping community members have access to quick, timely treatments, which are crucial for survival and helps in recovery.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. 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.

Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program that promotes consistent adherence to the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Tidelands Health for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “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.”

In addition to Get With The Guidelines recognition, Tidelands Waccamaw and Tidelands Georgetown have earned advanced primary stroke center certification from The Join Commission – the largest independent health care accrediting agency in the United States – in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.