8 Allina Health hospitals earned awards from the American Heart Association

MINNEAPOLIS (July 26, 2023) — Allina Health is honored to receive American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

 Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke, and stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

“I’m incredibly grateful to work with extraordinary care teams and quality improvement professionals who are dedicated to improving patient outcomes,” said Ganesh Asaithambi, MD, Director for Allina Health Stroke and Hospital Neurology Program. “In 2022, Allina Health spearheaded the Allina Health Stroke Program and established comprehensive stroke care as the community standard throughout the Allina Health system which streamlined processes to ensure timely and proper care for strokes.”

Since its inception in January 2022, the Allina Health stroke program has implemented changes to strengthen the stroke care provided to patients, including a dedicated stroke response team, advanced telemedicine technologies to enable remote consultation with stroke specialists, and enhanced training and education for health care staff to improve their expertise in stroke care management and rehabilitation.

“In addition to our metro hospitals receiving recognition, five of our regional hospitals earned awards this year which shows our commitment to providing access to high quality care for the communities we serve,” said Sanjay Singh, MD, President of Allina Health Neuroscience, Spine and Pain Institute.

Allina Health received these 2023 American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines achievement awards:

 Abbott Northwestern Hospital:

• Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus
• Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll

 United Hospital:

• Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus
• Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll
• Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll

 Mercy Hospital:

• Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus
• Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

 St. Francis Regional Medical Center

• Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus
• Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

 Faribault Medical Center

• Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus
• Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll

 New Ulm Medical Center

• Get With The Guidelines-Rural Stroke Bronze

Owatonna Hospital

• Get With The Guidelines-Rural Stroke Bronze

River Falls Area Hospital

• Get With The Guidelines-Rural Stroke Bronze

Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 14 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at allinahealth.org and join us on Facebook, X and Instagram.