For immediate release
Contact: Colleen Reynolds| OSF HealthCare Media Relations Coordinator | (309) 825-7255
(July, 22, 2019 Alton, IL)-Seconds count when someone is having a stroke and that has driven the Stroke Care Team at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center to achieve the gold standard for treating patients immediately with the right care when it really matters.
OSF Saint Anthony’s has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus achievement award. The hospital has also qualified to be recognized as a recipient of the AHA/ASA’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award which has criteria that includes administering the right medication and therapy within a certain amount of time for a majority of stroke patients.
“When second matters, our team of providers and nurses in the Emergency Department know the importance of providing the right medical care to every stroke patient every time as quickly as possible to ensure the patient has the best quality of life after a stroke.”
– Michelle Lovsey, stroke coordinator & neurology navigator for OSF Saint Anthony’s.
“Our stroke care begins as soon as the patient has been called to us by the community emergency medical personnel, and continues when the patient is seen in physician follow up,” according to Lovsey. “Each department in the hospital has a role based on best practices that help to improve the stroke patient’s outcome and decrease their chance of having another stroke.”
The distinction means OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center will receive recognition in the US News and World Report’s “Best Hospital’s” edition and at the American Hospital and American Stroke Associations’ conference in February of next year.
“We are proud we can be among the elite health care institutions in the country receiving this designation,” said Ajay Pathak, Saint Anthony’s president and CEO. “But, what really gets us excited is seeing how we're affecting lives.” Pathak added, “This reflects the dedication and expertise of our physicians, nurses and quality improvement professionals who are committed to excellent care.”