The American Heart Association presents Get With The Guidelines - Stroke GoldPlus award for proven dedication to ensuring stroke patients on the Southside of San Antonio have access to best practices and life-saving care.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS— Texas Vista Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s GoldPlus Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

“We are committed to improving patient care on the Southside of San Antonio by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines,” said Jon Turton, FACHE, President, Texas Vista Medical Center. “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better.”

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home. 

“We are incredibly pleased to recognize Texas Vista Medical Center for its commitment to caring for patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group. “Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for health care systems, families and communities.”

Texas Vista Medical Center also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke^SM Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase.  Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke

About Texas Vista Medical Center
Texas Vista Medical Center is a 327-bed acute care hospital with specialties in Cardiology, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation, Women’s Health, Emergency Services, Physical Therapy, Wound Care, and Psychiatric Services. Its medical staff includes skilled, board-certified physicians representing a wide range of medical specialties. Texas Vista Medical Center is part of Steward Health Care, a physician-led health care services organization committed to providing the highest quality of patient care.

About Steward Health Care
Steward Health Care’s physician-owned and -led business model was built to unlock access to the highest-quality care at a sustainable cost, committed to providing personalized, ongoing medical services that positively impact patients’ physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

Founded in 2010 by Ralph de la Torre, M.D., Steward Health Care is the largest physician-owned health care network with more than 5,500 providers and 43,000 health care professionals empowering the health and wellness journey of 12.3 million patients a year through its extensive global network of hospitals, urgent care centers, skilled nursing facilities and substantial behavioral health services.

Based in Dallas, Steward currently operates 39 hospitals around the world, including 34 across Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah, as well as five internationally within Malta and Colombia. For more information, visit www.steward.org

About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 12 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.