TGMC earns silver award in stroke care

After receiving the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Bronze Quality Achievement Award last year, Terrebonne General Medical Center upped the ante and earned the Silver Quality Achievement Award this year.

TGMC is the only hospital in the region to achieve the award doled out by the American Heart Association.

“We are very passionate about what we do here and this award means so much to us,” said TGMC Clinical Quality Coordinator D’Lyn Bollinger.

The medical center earned the award by meeting quality achievement measures for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. Those measures include proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.

TGMC improved its award from bronze to silver by its data being monitored for 12 consecutive months rather than 90 consecutive days this time.

“TGMC is dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care, and the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke program helps us accomplish this goal,” said TGMC President and CEO Phyllis Peoples. “With this accreditation, our hospital demonstrates our commitment to ensure that our patients receive the best care based on internationally-respected clinical guidelines.”

TGMC representatives accepted the award from the American Heart Association at a meeting last Thursday.

“It’s something that the American Heart Association would love to see every hospital do, but it takes a lot of effort and a lot of work on the part of the hospital, and so we’re very excited when hospitals apply for these awards because it really is a sign of the hard work that they’re putting in every day, insuring that their parents are getting an excellent quality of care. We’re very excited to promote them from bronze to silver,” said American Heart Association Regional Director Brittany Gay.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and on average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and dies from a stroke every four minutes.

“We are pleased to recognize TGMC for their commitment and dedication to stroke care,” said Get With The Guidelines national chairman Deepak Bhatt. “Studies have shown that hospitals that consistently follow Get With The Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce patients’ length of stays and 30-day readmission rates and reduce disparity gaps in care.”