The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has recognized Huntington Hospital for its success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients.
Huntington was one of 11 hospitals awarded the "Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Achievement Award," which is based on evidence-based guidelines.
To receive the award, each hospital achieved 24 consecutive months of 85 percent or higher adherence to all stroke performance achievement indicators. These measures include aggressive use of medications, such as tissue plasminogen activator (or tPA, a clot-busting drug); interventions to prevent blood clots; administration of cholesterol-reducing drugs; and, review of smoking cessation techniques with patients.
All the protocols are designed to reduce mortality and disability rates, and improve the lives of stroke patients.
“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost,” said Richard Libman, MD, chair of North Shore-LIJ’s stroke task force and chief of vascular neurology at LIJ Medical Center. “The (awards) demonstrate that our highly-trained physicians and nurses are committed to providing care that has been clinically proven to quickly and efficiently treat stroke patients and save lives.”
As New York State-designated stroke centers, all 11 hospitals have multidisciplinary stroke teams available 24 hours a day to assess and treat stroke patients.
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. The number of patients eligible for stroke care is expected to grow over the next decade.
In addition to Huntington, the other North Shore-LIJ hospitals earning recognition were:
Plainview Hospital
Syosset Hospital
Glen Cove Hospital
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
North Shore University Hospital
Franklin Hospital
Forest Hills Hospital
Southside Hospital
Staten Island University Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital
