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It’s a popular phrase in the medical field, “Time is brain.” It’s used to stress the importance of providing immediate medical attention to a patient experiencing a stroke. Each minute that a stroke goes untreated, 1.9 million brain cells are lost, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the longer a stroke patient goes without medical intervention, the greater their risk of disability and death.

Minutes, even seconds, matter when providing proper treatment to stroke patients, and the South Texas Health System Neurosciences & Stroke Institute continues to be a nationally recognized leader in stroke care in the Rio Grande Valley.

Comprised of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at STHS McAllen, the Primary Stroke Centers at STHS Edinburg and STHS Heart and the system’s six Acute Stroke Ready Hospital-certified freestanding emergency departments, the institute has been awarded the Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus Award for the fifth consecutive year by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. The highest honor bestowed to facilities by the non-profit organizations, the gold award recognizes facilities with proven dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care for 24 consecutive months or more.

The award recognizes the STHS Neuroscience & Stroke Institute’s dedication to guaranteeing stroke patients get the most appropriate treatment across its stroke care-certified facilities according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

“South Texas Health System is committed to improving patient care for the people of the Rio Grande Valley by adhering to the latest stroke treatment guidelines,” said Veronica Olivarez, RN, Director of Neurosciences, South Texas Health System. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our treatment teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work daily, which studies have shown can help improve patient recovery. The end goal is to ensure more people across the four-county region can live longer, healthier lives.”

In the United States, nearly 800,000 people suffer a stroke each year, per the Stroke Awareness Foundation, making stroke the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the nation. Sometimes referred to as a brain attack, a stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel bursts, damaging or killing brain tissue. Early stroke detection and timely treatment are vital to improving the chances of survival, minimizing any risk of disability and accelerating a patient’s recovery time.

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 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.

Participating facilities and healthcare systems like South Texas Health System qualify for the award by showing how they have committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines program participants also provide important education to patients that can help them manage their health and recovery at home.

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize South Texas Health System 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.”

STHS also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite award for the second consecutive year. To earn this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with a clot-buster alteplase injection.

Additionally, STHS earned the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award for the fifth straight year. The award aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

STHS’ repeated recognition demonstrates the system’s dedication to treating patients at core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association, as well as its continuous commitment to providing this level of care throughout its facilities.

Made up of 10 acute care facilities and the inpatient rehabilitation units at STHS McAllen and STHS Edinburg, which have earned The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Stroke and Cardiac Rehabilitation, the South Texas Health System Neurosciences & Stroke Institute is the largest integrated network of stroke care in the Rio Grande Valley.