« All NewsLMC Earns National Stroke Award from American Heart Association and American Stroke Association
Posted by: Jennifer Wilson, Public Relations Manager | June 13, 2011
West Columbia, S.C. – Lexington Medical Center has received a Gold Plus award for stroke care from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines program. The Gold Plus award is the highest honor bestowed and recognizes commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients.
“This award demonstrates Lexington Medical Center’s commitment to being one of the top hospitals in the country for providing effective, evidence-based stroke care,” said Vicky Hicks, RN, B-C, outcomes coordinator at Lexington Medical Center.
The honor goes to hospitals with excellent adherence to Get With the Guidelines stroke quality indicators and measures, including aggressive use of proven medications, therapy, cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation, all aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.
“Lexington Medical Center is to be commended for its commitment to implementing standards of care and protocols for treating stroke patients,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., chair of the Get With the Guidelines National Steering Committee. “The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients.”
Get With the Guidelines is the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that helps health care providers save lives by following guidelines and recommendations for stroke care.
According to the Department of Health and Environmental Control, stroke is the third leading cause of death in South Carolina, resulting in more than 2,000 deaths each year. South Carolina is among a group of Southeastern states with high stroke death rates referred to as the “Stroke Belt.”
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying 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 it starts to die.
Warning signs include weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech, facial drooping, confusion and the inability to talk. Risk factors for stroke are untreated high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and high cholesterol. Modifying your lifestyle can help prevent stroke.
Lexington Medical Center, in West Columbia, S.C., anchors a county-wide health care network that includes six community medical centers throughout Lexington County and employs a staff of 5,200 health care professionals. The network also includes the largest extended care facility in the Carolinas, two occupational health centers and more than 40 physician practices. At its heart is the 414-bed state-of-the-art Lexington Medical Center, with a reputation for the highest quality care. Lexington Medical Center won "Best Hospital" by readers of The State for ten years in a row, "Best Hospital" by readers of the Free Times, "Best Place to Have a Baby" by readers of Palmetto Parent, the "Consumer Choice Award" from the National Research Corporation and the prestigious "Summit Award" from Press Ganey.
