July 17, 2023 – Decatur Memorial Hospital and Springfield Memorial Hospital have been awarded the Gold Plus designation of the American Heart Association’s ‘Get With the Guidelines’ award, which recognizes hospitals that provide 24 consecutive months of research-based stroke treatment.
“Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and reducing recovery time,” said Chuck Callahan, President of the Memorial Health Hospital Group, in a press release. “I’m proud of the work we do at SMH, DMH and across Memorial Health to treat stroke patients quickly and help them preserve their quality of life.”
The American Heart Association regularly recognizes hospitals that consistently meet the association’s standards for stroke care with the award, which has various levels of performance. SMH and DMH were recently awarded the top designation, situating both hospitals as top stroke treatment centers across the state, according to Memorial. Springfield Memorial has been recognized as one of 10 comprehensive stroke centers in Illinois and DMH is classified as a primary stroke care center.
“Treating stroke is a team effort,” said Jennifer Swartz, a registered nurse and clinical coordinator overseeing stroke care at Decatur Memorial Hospital, in a press release. “Our stroke team includes professionals with a wide range of specialties, including neuro-interventional radiologists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, neurosurgeons, vascular surgeons, radiologists and physical, occupational and speech therapists, among many others.”
For more information about the award and its various tiers, click HERE.
