CRMC Receives National Recognition for Providing High-Quality Stroke Care

Cookeville Regional Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® – Stroke Silver Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

“CRMC is honored to be recognized as a Silver Plus Award recipient by the American Heart Association,” said Buffy Key, interim CEO at CRMC. “The stroke team is incredibly dedicated to evaluating and finding research-based guidance that improves the quality of stroke care for patients in our region. The CRMC stroke team is about prevention, education and management after the stroke. I congratulate our team on being recognized not only as a Silver Plus Award recipient but the AHA’s Target Award for Stroke Honor Roll and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. The end goal is to ensure more people in the Upper Cumberland can experience longer, healthier lives.”

The AHA’s Target for the Stroke Honor Roll is awarded for Cookeville Regional meeting specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase. The Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award is given for ensuring patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

“What an honor to receive these recognitions. Our stroke program has grown over the years and this recognition as well as our recent stroke accreditation by The Joint Commission is evidence that we are committed to delivering and improving stroke care for the patients in our region,” said Susan Ashburn, CRMC stroke program coordinator.

Stroke is the Number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. 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.

About Get With The Guidelines

Get With the Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.