VALDOSTA, Ga. –South Georgia Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Gold-Plus Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Achievement Award.

The award recognizes SGMC’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally-recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

This is SGMC’s fifth consecutive Gold Plus quality award. SGMC earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

“SGMC is located in what is referred to as the ‘Stroke Belt.’  We see a high volume of stroke patients,” explains Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian Dawson. “Because of the high incidence of stroke, we take our stroke protocol very seriously. We have an excellent team that puts patient care in the forefront of all we do. SGMC is considered a model for best practices in stroke care.” 

SGMC additionally received the association’s Target: Stroke^SM Elite Plus award for meeting 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.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.