The Peru Gazette

Stroke team care members: Front row, left to right – Christina Northrup, RN and Doris Rible-Lacey, Speech Language Pathologist. Second row from left to right: Tony Lewis, Speech Language Pathologist, Colleen Bell, RN, Sarah Baskind, DNP, John Bologna, RN.

Team care members Michael McMahon, MD in Emergency Medicine, and CVPH Emergency Department Director Gail Bjelko, BSN, RN.

Hospital presented with award from American Heart Association 

PLATTSBURGH, NY – The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Get With The Guidelines^® – Stroke 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.

Stroke is the Number 5 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.

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 research- and evidence-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.

“The Stroke team at CVPH works to continually evaluate outcomes and look for opportunities to enhance the care we provide to stroke patients,” CVPH Clinical Quality Manager Colleen Bell said. “Collaboration across the UVM Health Network and use of American Heart Association resources, such as Get With the Guidelines – Stroke, contribute to meeting best practice standards for stroke patients.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.“We are incredibly pleased to recognize CVPH for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., chairperson of the 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.”

“Achieving this excellence in patient outcomes is only possible due to a highly coordinated, collaborative and multidisciplinary approach,” Sarah Baskind, DNP, Stroke/Neurology Nurse Practitioner said. “Every medical discipline and department at CVPH truly has a hand in helping ensure each stroke patient gets the evidence based care they need.”

CVPH also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure 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.

“I am incredibly proud of the hard work our stroke team has put in to get us to this point,” CVPH Stroke Medical Director Dr. Michael McMahon explained. “We have come a long way and will continue to strive to do the best we can for our stroke patients.”