SLCH recognized for exceptional care

Newburgh - St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital is a NY State Department of Health designated Stroke Center that has been recognized for achievement in using evidence-based guidelines to provide the best possible care to patients through The American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® program.

St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital is featured in a special advertisement in the "America’s Best Hospitals" in the July 27, 2010 issue of US News & World Report to commemorate its receipt of Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award. There were a total of 198 total hospital listed in this category, nationally, with 21 in NY State.

Get With The Guidelines is a hospital-based quality-improvement program designed to ensure that hospitals consistently care for cardiac and stroke patients following the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations. The program addresses coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. Currently more than 1,400 hospitals participate in the program.

Hospitals recognized in each category achieve at least 85 percent compliance to Get With The Guidelines care measures. Those achieving 85 percent compliance or higher for 24 consecutive months and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of ten quality of care measures, receive the Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s advertisement recognizes St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital’s commitment and success in performance achievement. "The American Heart Association is pleased to recognize its top Get With The Guidelines participants," said. Lee Schwamm, M.D., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Vice Chairman of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. "Healthcare providers who use Get With The Guidelines are armed with the latest evidence-based guidelines and immediate access to clinical decision support, using a set of tools that have been shown to improve delivery of evidence-based care. The goal of this initiative is to improve the quality of life and help reduce deaths and disability among patients with heart disease and stroke."

"We are proud that the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have chosen the ‘America’s Best Hospitals’ issue of US News & World Report to recognize St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital for our achievements in their Get With The Guidelines program," said Allan E. Atzrott, SLCH President and CEO. "Get With The Guidelines gives our professionals the tools and reports they need to effectively treat our stroke patients."