MemorialCare's Long Beach Medical Center and Saddleback Medical Center Nationally Recognized by the American Heart Association with Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus Awards

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MemorialCare's Long Beach Medical Center and Saddleback Medical Center received the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines^® - Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement awards. Long Beach Medical Center also received the Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

"MemorialCare is deeply committed to ensuring high-quality patient care and the best-case outcomes by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and protocols," says Shela Kaneshiro, chief clinical transformation officer, MemorialCare. "Through the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines initiatives, our teams can apply proven knowledge daily, helping patients recover better and live longer, healthier lives."

Long Beach and Saddleback Medical Centers earned the awards by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure and stroke patients, ensuring they receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before discharge, patients also receive education on managing their overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

In addition, Long Beach Medical Center received the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy, Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, and Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll. Saddleback Medical Center received the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. These awards recognize both institutions' commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart failure and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

"We are incredibly pleased to recognize MemorialCare's Long Beach Medical Center and Saddleback Medical Center for their commitment to caring for patients with stroke," said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. "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."

Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart 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 and Heart Failure are in-hospital programs for improving stroke and heart care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

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.

About MemorialCare

MemorialCare is a not-for-profit, integrated health care delivery system with 225 care locations including leading hospitals—Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach; MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians; MemorialCare Research Program; MemorialCare Select Health Plan; and numerous outpatient health, imaging, surgery, urgent care, physical therapy, breast health and dialysis centers throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties. Accolades include Nation's Best Health Systems and Workplaces, Top 50 U.S. Hospitals and Cardiovascular Hospitals, 10 Largest Children's Hospitals, 100 Best Hospitals - Spine and Prostate Surgeries, Best of Orange County and Long Beach Hospitals and Medical Groups, U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals and "high performing" in 31 clinical categories and Newsweek World's Best Hospitals, Top 100 Hospitals, Best Maternity Hospitals – and more. Visit memorialcare.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 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.

SOURCE MemorialCare