Newswise — MAYWOOD, IL – Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC) has earned 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. The AHA also named LUMC to its Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll and Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll.

The Stroke GOLD Plus Award recognizes hospitals for adherence to the AHA’s in-hospital program for improving stroke care, based on the latest scientific treatment guidelines. The Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll distinction honors hospitals engaging in advanced care for patients with heart failure and/or stroke and type 2 diabetes. LUMC earned the Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll award by meeting specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke. 85% of those LUMC patients receive the life-saving medication in less than one hour of arrival.

"Loyola Medicine is proud to be recognized for our commitment to providing outstanding care for patients with heart failure, stroke or type 2 diabetes,” said Shawn P. Vincent president and CEO of Loyola Medicine. "The entire Loyola Medicine team is dedicated to providing timely, evidence-based treatment to minimize the long-term effects of a stroke."

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked or bursts. Without timely intervention, stroke patients suffer brain damage. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

"We are incredibly pleased to recognize LUMC 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.”