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Published on September 30, 2024

Multiple MyMichigan Medical Centers Recognized for Quality of Stroke Care

MyMichigan Medical Centers in Alma, Gladwin, Midland, Saginaw and West Branch have received multiple stroke care awards from the American Heart Association (AHA) Get With The Guidelines® and Mission: Lifeline®. These awards recognize healthcare organizations for their commitment to following nationally recognized, research-based guidelines to ensure patients receive the most appropriate and timely treatment for stroke and heart attack.

“With stroke as a leading cause of death and a significant cause of disability in the United States, it is our responsibility to be at the ready to serve our community when every second counts,” said Joseph Adel, M.D., F.A.A.N.S., board-certified, dually trained neurosurgeon in endovascular interventional procedures as well as open cerebrovascular and skull-base neurosurgery. He is also the medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw. “Patient care is our number one priority, and our stroke care teams are committed to following evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes. These honors by AHA reflect that commitment.”

The 2024 awards received by MyMichigan Medical Centers are:

MyMichigan Medical Center Alma

  • Get With the Guidelines Stroke Bronze

MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin

  • Get With the Guidelines Stroke Bronze
  • Stroke Participating

MyMichigan Medical Center Midland

  • Get with the Guidelines Stroke GOLD PLUS
  • Target: Stroke Honor Roll
  • Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
  • Accredited as a Primary Stroke Center

MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw

  • Get with the Guidelines Stroke GOLD PLUS
  • Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus
  • Advanced Therapy
  • Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
  • Accredited as a Comprehensive Stroke Center

MyMichigan Medical Center West Branch

  • Get with the Guidelines Stroke GOLD PLUS
  • Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite
  • Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
  • Get With the Guidelines Rural Stroke Silver
  • Accredited as a stroke-ready hospital

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,” said Faith Fuentes, M.D., neurologist and medical director for the stroke program at MyMichigan Health. “Stroke is a time sensitive emergency. Time is Brain. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times. MyMichigan Medical Centers are committed to evidence-based care of stroke patients in our communities. While some of our member sites have already achieved performance levels to reap awards, our stroke protocols are followed system wide.

What do the awards mean?

MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw is certified by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) for its advanced capabilities to rapidly diagnosis and implement leading-edge treatments for stroke patients. It’s the only CSC in the mid-Michigan Region. In addition to receiving the Stroke Gold Plus award, MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw also received the Advanced Therapy 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.

MyMichigan Medical Center Midland is certified as a primary stroke center and MyMichigan Medical Center West Branch is certified as a stroke-ready hospital by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). These certifications confirm they comply with national standards and follow evidence-based practices that improve stroke patient outcomes and reduce risk. Both hospitals received the Stroke Gold Plus award among several other recognitions.

In addition, MyMichigan Medical Center Alma and MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin received a Stroke Bronze Award which is the highest level attainable based on 90 days of available data. This first level of recognition acknowledges their commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive appropriate treatment based on nationally recognized, research-based guidelines and the latest scientific evidence. Hospitals are eligible for the next level of recognition based on sustained performance over a designated time period.

This year, MyMichigan Health EMS was recognized with the recently added Mission: Lifeline Gold and Target Heart Attack awards. The Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services (EMS) develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for patients with acute, high-risk, time sensitive life and/or quality of life-threatening diseases such as ST Elevate Myocardial Infarction (STEMI Heart Attack). The program helps mobilize teams across the continuum of care to implement AHA/American College of Cardiology Foundation clinical treatment guidelines.

Hospitals are required to achieve certain outcomes to be eligible for the Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Award. To qualify for the Target Stroke: Award and/or Target: Stroke Honor Roll recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. 

The Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award is given to hospitals who have 90% compliance with developed quality measures 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.

To learn more about stroke care offered at MyMichigan Health may visit www.mymichigan.org/stroke.

*The American Heart Association does not endorse MyMichigan Health’s products or services.

About Get With The Guidelines

Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.