The Valley Hospital Earns National Recognition for Commitment to Providing High-Quality Stroke Care

RIDGEWOOD, NJ, September 5, 2023 – The Valley Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines? - Stroke Gold Plus 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 fifth cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States, according to the American Stroke Association. 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 designed to improve stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

“Valley is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to caring for patients who have experienced a stroke,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of Valley Health System. “Get With The Guidelines - Stroke sets a standard that our team can use a a benchmark to execute the science and guidelines on a daily basis, all with the goal of improving outcomes for stroke patients.”

Each year, Get With The Guidelines 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, participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize The Valley Hospital for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, MD, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. “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.”

Valley has also received the Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase. 

To learn more about stroke care at Valley, please visit ValleyHealth.com/Stroke.

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 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 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.