University Health earns Stroke Gold Plus Quality Award and Diabetes Honor Roll recognition from the American Heart Association for cerebrovascular care

University Health has been nationally recognized for high-quality cardiovascular care after receiving two American Heart Association Awards – Stroke GOLD PLUS with Honor Roll Elite and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.

The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment for cerebrovascular events. The program recognizes hospitals for applying the most up-to-date evidence-based treatment guidelines to improve patience care and outcomes in their communities. The Gold Plus Quality Award is an advanced level of recognition acknowledging consistent compliance with the program’s quality measures. University Health demonstrated at least 85 percent compliance with the guidelines for 24 consecutive months or more to achieve Gold status.

We are honored to be recognized again with this distinction. Our multidisciplinary cerebrovascular team specializes in lifesaving stroke care. We know timely, high-quality care during cerebrovascular events is essential to help our patients experience good clinical outcomes,” said Dr. Lee Birnbaum, medical director of the Stroke Center at University Hospital and UT Health.

Providing exceptional care for the community is the top priority for the multidisciplinary stroke team, said stroke coordinators Ashley Garza and Jeanette Figueroa, who have teamed together for five years on the program.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. For patients with conditions that are severe enough to be transported or admitted to a hospital, time is critical.

For more information about the Comprehensive Stroke Center at University Health, visit our website.