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Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. Experience, collaboration and following research-based guidelines matter when it comes to providing timely and safe stroke care. Because strokes require treatment as soon as possible for the best chances of survival and full recovery, Mercy strives to provide high quality stroke care in every community it serves.
The American Heart Association is recognizing Mercy for its commitment to high-quality stroke care with its Get With the Guidelines – Stroke awards for all five Mercy hospitals in the St. Louis region.
“We’re able to put evidence-based guidelines into practice in each of our hospitals,” said Brian Connor, Mercy neurosciences service line president. “We’re able to share our experiences among our busiest hospitals that see the most stroke patients to our smaller hospitals in rural settings and everything in between. That shared knowledge and collaboration enables us to provide the best outcomes possible for our patients, regardless of their location.”
A stroke occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel to the brain or a blood vessel bursts, preventing oxygen from reaching the brain. It is the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S.
The Get With the Guidelines award honors hospitals that follow nationally recognized, research-based guidelines in treating stroke and educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.
For 2024, Mercy Hospital Jefferson, Mercy Hospital South, Mercy Hospital St. Louis and Mercy Hospital Washington each earned the Get With the Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus award. Mercy Hospital Lincoln earned the Get With the Guidelines – Stroke Silver Plus award.
The American Heart Association also focuses on the unique health needs of rural communities and has recognized Mercy Lincoln and Mercy Washington with the Get With the Guidelines – Stroke Rural Silver award.
Mercy South and Mercy St. Louis earned the highest additional designation of Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll, Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Mercy Washington earned the Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes designations, Mercy Lincoln earned Target: Stroke Honor Roll, and Mercy Jefferson earned the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.
To earn Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll and Elite Honor Roll, Mercy met specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with clot-busting medication.
To earn Target: Advanced Therapy Honor Roll designation, Mercy met specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and a thrombectomy treatment to remove the clot causing the stroke.
To earn the Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award, Mercy demonstrated that it 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.
In addition to these awards, Mercy South is a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center, Mercy St. Louis is a Joint Commission Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center and both hospitals are Missouri Level 1 Stroke Centers.
