Ohio Valley Medical Center has received the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award.

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

OVMC 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 and other care transition interventions.

“OVMC is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Daniel C. Dunmyer, CEO of OVMC and East Ohio Regional Hospital. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”

According to the American Heart Association and 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.