News

August 5, 2019

Norwood Hospital Receives Get With The Guidelines Target: Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

American Heart Association Award recognizes Norwood Hospital’s commitment to quality stroke care for 4th year in a row

For the 4th year in a row, Norwood Hospital has earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. In addition the Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll award indicates that Norwood Hospital met quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. 

    Norwood Hospital earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

    “The clinical and support team at Norwood Hospital is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by providing among the most advanced care in the region and implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Salvatore Perla, DrPH. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.” 
    According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
    The Norwood Hospital team includes Norwood Hospital staff and collaborators including:
•    Joanne Capparella, MD, Neurology
•    Debra Connolly, Director Case Management 
•    Justine DeFronzo, CNO
•    Tara Doub, ED, Nursing Director
•    David Emwiler, EMS Manager
•    Selina Fay, Rehab Services
•    Andrea Feliciano, Nurse Educator
•    Lynn Hallion, Quality and Safety 
•    Nidhi Kapoor, MD, Emergency Department
•    Cynthia Kiely, Cancer Registry, Data Abstracter
•    Mary Koteles, Speech Therapy
•    Norine Leaver, Stroke Coordinator
•    Matthew Lowry, MD, VMA 
•    Rachel MacPhail RN, Nursing Education
•    Dan Parkinson, Braintree Rehab Hospital
•    Paula Pinciaro, ICU, Nursing Director
•    Susan Riley, Nurse Manager, Cardiology
•    Tracy Shanahan, Genetech
•    Patricia Watson, Laboratory

  
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About Norwood Hospital
Norwood Hospital is a full-service, 215-bed community hospital for adults and children with a focus on delivering world-class health care along with the latest advances in technology and treatment options. With first class specialists, innovative treatment options, and state-of-the-art technology, including robotic-assisted surgeries for joint replacement, the hospital campus provides exceptional care throughout Norfolk County and surrounding areas. Norwood Hospital has received many awards including 2018 Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award, MBSAQIP (Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program) Comprehensive Center Accreditation Award, and has been designated as two Blue Distinction+ Centers by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for Maternity Care and for Knee and Hip Replacement. Norwood Hospital is part of the Steward Health Care System LLC. Additional information is available at www.norwood-hospital.org.

About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.