Holyoke Medical Center Nationally Recognized for High-quality Stroke Care

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) has once again received the Get with the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Honor Roll quality-achievement award from the American Heart Assoc. and American Stroke Assoc. This recognition is in response to the hospital’s 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.

“This award reflects Holyoke Medical Center’s ongoing commitment, year after year, to provide the best stroke care, using evidence-based guidelines,” said Dr. M. Zubair Kareem, medical director of the HMC Stroke Service. “For well over a decade, our dedicated and amazing staff has consistently provided excellence in stroke care. We appreciate their knowledge, skill, and ability to treat every acute stroke as quickly and effectively as possible.”

Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. 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 Assoc. and American Stroke Assoc. to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines. This in-hospital program improves stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get with the Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus award, Holyoke Medical Center met specific criteria to reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clotbuster alteplase.

The Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award ensures 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.

Holyoke Medical Center also meets specific scientific guidelines as a primary stroke center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the Emergency Department.