Treasure Valley health system recognized for stroke care by national organization

The response and care to someone having a stroke can lead to better outcomes, and one health system in the Treasure Valley has been recognized for its efforts to save more lives.

Saint Alphonsus Health System has been selected by the American Heart Association to receive two honors related to its Get With The Guidelines Stroke awards for the health care provider’s treatment of stroke patients.

The two honors went to Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa, which was awarded with the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Bronze, and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, which was awarded with the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Silver Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll with Advanced Therapy.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of disability in the country.

The guidelines were developed by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for hospitals across the nation to “ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines.”

“Our commitment to reviewing and benchmarking this data keeps us accountable to best practices and ensures we continually review, analyze and enhance our clinical care for the acute stroke patient, providing high quality complex care for our patients and community,” said Claire Jones, Saint Alphonsus Health System regional director of the Neuroscience Service Line.

According to Saint Alphonsus, bronze award recipients have implemented measures toward the prevention of stroke during one quarter of the year and greater than 30 patient cases. Silver Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll with Advanced Therapy award recipients have shown one year of achievements along with meeting other criteria such as the time it takes to remove the clot causing the stroke from the time the patient arrives at the hospital.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Saint Alphonsus Health System for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “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.”