Department of Public Affairs — 8900 Van Wyck Expressway Jamaica, New York 11418

For Immediate Release
Name: Michael Hinck
Telephone: 718-206-8973
Email: mhinck@jhmc.org

Flushing and Jamaica Hospitals Honored for Stroke Care

May 02,2014

For Immediate Release
<br>Name: Natifia Mullings
<br> Public Relations Coordinator
<br>Telephone: (718) 206-6746
<br>Fax: (718) 206-6071
<br>Email: ngaines@jhmc.org
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<br>The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association proudly recognized Flushing and Jamaica Hospitals for their treatment of stroke patients. Specifically, Flushing Hospital received the Get with Guidelines- Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Jamaica Hospital received the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award.
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<br>Both facilities earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients, which includes aggressive use of medications and risk-reduction therapies.
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<br>They also received the association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll for meeting stroke quality measures that reduce the time between hospital arrival and treatment with “the clot-buster” tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. Stroke patients who receive the drug within three hours of the onset of symptoms may recover quicker and be less likely to suffer severe disability.
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<br>“Flushing and Jamaica Hospital are dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care and The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Stroke helps us achieve that goal,” said Dr. Angelo Canedo, Vice President at Flushing and Jamaica Hospitals. “With this award, our hospitals demonstrate our commitment to ensure that our patients receive care based on internationally-respected clinical guidelines.”
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<br>“We are pleased to recognize Flushing and Jamaica Hospitals for their commitment and dedication to stroke care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee and Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Studies have shown that hospitals that consistently follow Get With The Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce patients’ length of stays and 30-day readmission rates and reduce disparity gaps in care.”
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<br>In addition to the award, the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke program will help hospital staff implement prevention measures, which include educating stroke patients on how to manage their risk factors, identify warning signs for stroke, and take their medications properly.
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<br>According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
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