For 10th Year, UAMS Nationally Recognized for Commitment to High-Quality Stroke Care
| LITTLE ROCK — The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association awarded the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) with its highest level of stroke recognition for the 10th consecutive year for providing stroke patients with the most advanced treatments, leading to the best outcomes.
In addition to the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award, the AHA recognized UAMS with three Honor Roll awards for its quick treatment of stroke patients after arrival and its up-to-date, evidence-based care for stroke patients with Type 2 diabetes, who face a higher risk of complications.
The other awards are the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite, the Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll and the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. UAMS previously received the honor roll elite and Type 2 diabetes honor roll recognitions, but 2024 marks the first time that UAMS was named to the Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll as well.
The Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll award signifies that UAMS has met specific criteria to reduce the time between a patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with clot-busting medications in order to reduce the effects of a stroke and decrease the chance of permanent disability, while the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy award recognizes that UAMS has met criteria to reduce the time between patient arrival and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke in order to restore blood flow.
The Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award signifies that patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.
“UAMS is dedicated to consistently delivering excellent care for stroke patients by following the latest treatment guidelines,” said Paige Womack, BSN, RN, director of the UAMS stroke program. “This repeated achievement highlights our commitment to ensuring all Arkansans have access to best practices and life-saving stroke care.”
Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.
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.
The Get With The Guidelines program puts the expertise of the AHA 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 for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.
“We are incredibly pleased to recognize UAMS for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., 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.”
“Get With the Guidelines enables our teams to apply proven knowledge and guidelines to care of stroke patients on a daily basis, which leads to more lives saved and reduced disability cause by strokes,” Womack said. “The ultimate goal is to ensure more people in Arkansas can enjoy longer, healthier lives.”
In 2018, UAMS became the first health provider in Arkansas to be certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, an independent organization that evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. The Comprehensive Stroke Center certification is the most demanding accreditation and is awarded only to hospitals that can receive and treat the most complex stroke cases. UAMS offers 24/7 access to stroke experts, ensuring rapid treatment with clot-busting medication, performing interventional neuroradiology and advanced neurosurgical procedures, and delivering post-procedural care guided by best practices to enhance patient outcomes.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.
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