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St. Louise Regional Hospital received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll Award. These awards recognize 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. St. Louise was recognized in the August edition of U.S. News & World Report for their achievement.

“There are 15 measures that a hospital has to meet to get this award and they’ve done it for three years,” said Elaina Gunn, Regional Director for the American Heart and Lung Associations. “To achieve this level of quality, consistently for several years, is no small feat.”

St. Louise’s rate of using Alteplase, an injection that works by dissolving blood clots which improves the flow of blood into the part of the brain that’s deprived of blood during a stroke, bests the national average of use by 15 minutes. “Those minutes when you’re having a stroke are essential in getting the help you need,” Lori Katterhagen, St. Louise Chief Nursing Executive said.

With an emphasis on speed, St. Louise uses telemedicine, high-definition video conferencing used to rapidly connect with a neurologist, who can help make a rapid decision to inject Alteplase.

“We say, time is brain and if we can treat it in the first hour we have a really good chance of reversing or stopping the damage strokes can do,” said John Hennelly, St. Louise CEO. “Everyone here is working in concert, so treatment is quickly made.”

At the Award Reception, Mary Drottz, Quality & Regulatory Affairs and Margaret Garretson, Clinical Data Analyst/Stroke Coordinator, shared a few of St. Louise’s impressive data points, such as seeing approximately 200 stroke patients per year and having a door to diagnostic average of 1-minute. In addition, they provide education annually for ALL departments.