St. Luke's Health Hospitals Recognized by the American Heart Association for Quality Stroke Care

Houston, TX (July 17, 2017) - St. Luke's Health-Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center (Baylor St. Luke's) and St. Luke's Health-The Woodlands Hospital have received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll Elite Plus. The award recognizes both hospitals' commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Baylor St. Luke's and St. Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital have also met specific guidelines as Comprehensive Stroke Centers that feature a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.

“We are honored to once again receive this designation for our advanced stroke care program,” said David Argueta, president of St. Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital. “This recognition signifies that patients can receive the best possible stroke care right here in The Woodlands near their friends and family, and have a high chance of survival.”

Baylor St. Luke's has been consecutively recognized by the American Stroke Association each year since 2010. In addition to the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Achievement Award, the hospital has maintained the Target: Stroke designation since 2011.

”We are committed to delivering advanced stroke treatments to patients quickly and safely,” said Gay Nord, market president, Baylor St. Luke`s. “Recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke further reinforces our team's dedication and hard work.”

To receive the Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Gold Plus - Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll Elite Plus award, hospitals must:

• Achieve 85 percent or higher compliance with all Get With The Guidelines^®– Stroke Achievement Measures for two or more consecutive years (Gold)
• Achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five or more Get With The Guidelines^®– Stroke Quality Measures for one or more consecutive years (Plus)
• Achieve door-to-needle times of 60 minutes or less in at least 75 percent of eligible acute ischemic stroke patients, and achieve door-to-needle times of 45 minutes or less in at least 50 percent of eligible acute ischemic stroke patients (Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus)

These quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most current, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

“The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognizes Baylor St. Luke's and St. Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital for their commitment to stroke care,” said Paul Heidenreich, MD, MS, National Chairman, Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. “Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program.”

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, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

About St. Luke&'s Health
St. Luke's Health, a member of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), is comprised of three markets, St. Luke's Health is home of the Texas Heart Institute (THI),  eight hospitals, eight emergency centers, Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Radiation & CyberKnife^® Center, and several Baylor St. Luke's Medical Group locations throughout Greater Houston; St. Luke's Health Memorial (three hospitals and a long-term acute care facility in East Texas); and St. Joseph Health (five hospitals and several St. Joseph Medical Group locations across Brazos Valley). In addition, St. Luke's is a part of a joint venture agreement with Baylor College of Medicine^®, which encompasses Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center.  Together, St. Luke's Health, THI, and Baylor College of Medicine are transforming healthcare delivery with a mission to usher in a new era of healthcare to create healthier communities. For more information, visit CHIStLukesHealth.org.

St. Luke's Health is a part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), one of the nation's largest health systems. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, CHI operates in 19 states and comprises 105 hospitals, including four academic medical centers and teaching hospitals; 30 critical-access facilities; community health services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home health agencies; and other services that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. Learn more at catholichealthinitiatives.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.